117: From Trauma to Self-Trust: How EMDR Builds Power in Women [Why Women Go To Therapy Series]
EMDR is often branded as a trauma therapy — but what people don’t talk about enough is this: Brain-based therapy doesn’t just calm your nervous system. It helps you reclaim your power.
In this episode of The Zero Disturbance Podcast, EMDR therapist Kambria Evans breaks down the six biggest power moves that happen after EMDR therapy. From self-trust and nervous system regulation to dismantling internalized self-hatred and refusing to participate in other people’s narratives — this conversation reframes trauma healing as empowerment work.
If you're a woman exploring EMDR therapy, brain-based therapy, or trauma-informed healing, this episode will expand how you think about recovery, neuroplasticity, and control.
What Is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a brain-based therapy designed to help the nervous system reprocess traumatic memory networks. Rather than only talking about trauma, EMDR helps the brain metabolize unresolved experiences so they no longer trigger fight, flight, freeze, or collapse.
The result?
- Increased emotional regulation
- Stronger self-efficacy
- Greater self-trust
- Reduced trauma reactivity
- A profound sense of internal power
Who This Episode Is For
- Women considering EMDR therapy
- Clinicians interested in brain-based trauma treatment
- Highly sensitive women / empaths
- Women healing from domestic violence or narcissistic abuse
- Anyone wanting deeper self-trust through neuroscience-informed therapy
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
In this episode, we explore how EMDR doesn’t just reduce symptoms — it restores power, control, and self-trust at the nervous system level.
You’ll learn why empathy was never meant to be passive. For highly sensitive or intuitive women, EMDR transforms empathy from self-abandonment into discernment and decisive action. Instead of absorbing other people’s chaos, you learn to use your sensitivity as information — and that is power.
We also discuss how EMDR builds unshakable power in high-conflict environments like depositions, divorce, or narcissistic dynamics. Rather than rehearsing content, the work focuses on:
- Clearing negative beliefs rooted in helplessness
- Installing positive cognitions like control, choice, and self-efficacy
- Maintaining regulation under intentional provocation
When those beliefs are fully integrated, manipulation tactics lose power — because you no longer hand yours over.
We examine one of the greatest power moves of all: non-participation. EMDR integration often looks like:
- No longer defending yourself to unsafe people
- Refusing to argue with distorted narratives
- Shifting from “I must prove my worth” to “I know who I am”
That shift is quiet, but it is formidable.
This episode also addresses internalized self-hatred and the cultural conditioning that teaches women to distrust themselves. Through neuroplasticity and EMDR, outdated programming can be rewritten. Self-trust becomes the default. Shame loses power.
We challenge the pathology model of the DSM and reframe anxiety, panic, and depression as powerful communication from the nervous system — not proof that something is wrong with you. Your body is not the enemy. It is intelligent.
Finally, we explore the deepest expression of power: no longer needing universal approval. Instead asking: Do I understand myself? Do I trust myself? Do I like myself?
When the answer becomes yes, you are no longer easy to destabilize.
That is what real power looks like.
Come learn with us at Zero Disturbance:
Want to learn more about empowering yourself on your terms? If you appreciated this episode, here's more ways to learn with Kambria! https://www.zerodisturbance.com/workwithkambria
We also offer free resources for clients and therapists! Get access to our free client resource library for the most up-to-date tools and resources for your own journey.
Therapists, access our favorite free resources for designing high-value offers in The Zero Disturbance Welcome Bundle,
https://www.zerodisturbance.com/free-resources
Note: This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional therapy. If you’re experiencing difficulties, please seek guidance from a licensed mental health provider. All stories, examples, and characters shared are fictionalized or composite representations. Any resemblance to actual persons or situations is purely coincidental and intended solely for educational illustration.
With a Masters in Education from Vanderbilt, Kambria has been creating trainings and teaching adult learners for over 20 years. As the Director of Education and Quality Improvement at Stanford Medical School, she created ease in complex systems, thereby giving medical trainees successful learning experiences. Now, as a dedicated mom, therapist, and EMDR Consultant, Kambria knows what it means to do things efficiently, effectively, and in a learner-centered way. When she isn't podcasting or creating online courses, you can find Kambria playing with her twins on a beach in California.
