Can EMDR Therapy in NYC Heal Trauma from Discrimination?

Protesters hold signs declaring “Love is a Human Right” — a powerful reminder of how identity-based discrimination can leave lasting emotional wounds that EMDR Therapy in NYC helps to heal.

Photo by Ian Taylor, downloaded from Unsplash on 9/22/24

Updated on 3/21/2025

Discrimination isn’t just about hurt feelings or exclusion from spaces. It’s an attack on who you are at your core. For LGBTQ+ folks, it often shows up as a series of micro and macro aggressions—being stared at while holding hands in public, getting misgendered repeatedly despite clearly stating your pronouns, hearing slurs hurled your way, or being dismissed by a supervisor who subtly devalues your presence. Sometimes it’s a cold silence from family. Sometimes it’s explicit rejection from a religious community you once called home. These experiences don’t fade quietly into the background. They build up in the body and brain until they shape how you move through the world.

As a therapist offering EMDR Therapy in NYC, I specialize in working with LGBTQ+ adults, many of whom come from religious backgrounds. I’ve seen how this kind of trauma lives in the nervous system. It's not just a memory—it’s a loop. A pattern. A trigger that gets pulled again and again until you’re left feeling confused, anxious, frozen, or completely overwhelmed.

The Hidden Cost of Discrimination-Based Trauma

Discrimination doesn’t just wound you in the moment—it leaves a residue. Over time, these moments of exclusion and hostility collect like dust in your nervous system. They affect how you breathe, how you think, and how safe you feel existing in the world. The trauma doesn’t need to be one big event. Often, it’s the slow erosion of self-worth caused by years of being told—directly or indirectly—that who you are is wrong.

This trauma has real consequences. Many of my clients come in feeling stuck, especially in their careers and relationships. They can’t seem to make decisions, or they feel paralyzed around strong authority figures. When we dig deeper, we often find those figures are invalidating in small but consistent ways—misgendering, ignoring identity, talking over them, questioning their competence. It throws them into a tailspin. Their thoughts speed up, their body tenses, breath gets shallow. And beneath it all is a familiar feeling: I can’t trust myself.

For many queer adults from religious upbringings, this internal chaos is directly tied to early messages from faith systems. Messages that taught them their body, their intuition, their desires, their identity—were sinful, untrustworthy, even "tainted." Those systems rarely said it outright. But the learning was implicit, emotional, and deeply embedded. You could only "trust" an outside authority—God, the Bible, the pastor, your parent—and questioning them meant risking everything.

This is where EMDR Therapy shines.

EMDR Therapy in NYC: How It Helps

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) helps your brain and body reprocess these painful experiences so they lose their emotional sting. We use bilateral stimulation—like eye movements or tapping—to guide the brain into revisiting a memory in a way that feels safe and resourced. You’re not just reliving trauma. You’re rewriting it.

Let’s say you have a boss who reminds you of a pastor who shamed you in youth group. Every meeting leaves you tense and disoriented. Through EMDR, we can float back to those original moments that laid the groundwork for that emotional reaction. And then we reprocess them. We take out the charge. We link them with your current resources—the adult you are today—and rewire how those memories live in your nervous system.

Imagine trauma like a spiderweb clinging to your sense of self. EMDR is like a scalpel. A gentle, intentional one. It frees you. It untangles you from the old web of shame, fear, and invisibility so you can show up more fully—with clarity, groundedness, and freedom.

What to Expect in EMDR Therapy

If you’re new to EMDR, here’s what the process typically includes:

• History Taking: We explore what’s been painful and how it’s impacting your life now. We map out the themes and target memories that show up when you’re triggered.

• Preparation: Before we touch those deep wounds, we build your toolbox. Grounding skills. Mindfulness. Visualization exercises. I make sure you’re ready to handle the emotions that come up—not just in session, but in life.

• Desensitization & Reprocessing: Using bilateral stimulation, we revisit key memories and shift how they’re stored. You won’t forget them—but they won’t control you. The panic eases. The confusion softens. The nervous system settles.

• Closure & Integration: We always end sessions by grounding, with tools you can use between sessions. You leave each time feeling steady, not flooded.

If you’d like to read more about how EMDR works, I’ve created a resource guide here: Understanding EMDR Therapy: A Resource Guide for the LGBTQ Community in NYC.

"I’m Overreacting… Right?"

This is something I hear often. If a client shares that they feel like their reaction to a situation was "too much," I meet it with both compassion and some humor: "Welcome to humanity—I probably did something similar this morning." Then I gently invite them to breathe and get curious: What got stirred up? What did this situation remind you of? EMDR helps connect those dots and offers real relief.

Why EMDR Therapy Is Different for LGBTQ+ Folks with Religious Trauma

Most therapists will say they’re inclusive. But not all of them have walked the terrain I have—both personally and professionally. My practice isn’t just about offering "affirming" care. It’s about deeply understanding how your trauma is embedded in systems—religious, social, cultural—and how those systems shaped how you see yourself.

This work is for you if:

• You grew up being told your body or identity was sinful.

• You feel paralyzed or self-doubting in the face of strong authority figures.

• You’re carrying old shame or fear that doesn’t match your current life but still lives in your body.

• You want to feel more free, more grounded, and more at home in yourself.

A moment of joy and authenticity at a Pride festival — EMDR Therapy in NYC supports LGBTQ+ individuals in reclaiming this kind of freedom and emotional resilience after trauma.

Photo by Betzy Arosemena, downloaded from UnSplash on 9/22/24

The Benefits of EMDR Therapy in NYC for Discrimination-Based Trauma

• Less Anxiety, More Clarity: When you stop looping through past threats, your nervous system calms. You stop scanning the world for danger and start feeling safe in your own body.

• Improved Relationships: When the pain of past rejection softens, you can open up more. Vulnerability becomes possible. Connection deepens.

• Reclaimed Self-Worth: You stop seeing yourself through the lens of systems that harmed you. You begin to trust your inner wisdom. That voice that was silenced? It returns. Stronger.

Why It’s Urgent to Heal Now

Trauma doesn’t just fade over time. It sits in your nervous system like a brick—or worse, a black hole. And with political stressors on the rise, you will keep bumping into reminders. That’s not your fault. That’s the world we’re in. But it is your responsibility to care for yourself. To be proactive. To say: I deserve to feel safe and free.

EMDR can help. And the time is now.

Ready to Begin?

If you’re curious about working together, I invite you to book a free 15-minute consultation call at the link below. We’ll talk about what you’re going through and see if we’re a good fit.

Schedule your consultation now and take the first step toward a freer, more grounded version of you.

You deserve therapy that’s more than just talk. You deserve to heal at the roots.

Eric M. Hovis, LMHC, LPC I’m a licensed therapist offering EMDR Therapy in NYC and Connecticut, working virtually with queer adults from religious backgrounds. I specialize in anxiety, complex trauma, and helping clients reclaim inner freedom through integrated, affirming therapy.