The Beachball Memory: How EMDR Helps You Heal from the Past

Have you ever tried holding a beachball underwater?

No matter how hard you press or how long you try to keep it down, it eventually pops back up—sometimes forcefully and unexpectedly. This is a powerful metaphor for how our brains and bodies handle unprocessed traumatic memories.

Many people live with beachball memories: moments or experiences from the past that they’ve pushed down, avoided, or tried to forget. These memories might seem dormant for a while, but they often show up later in the form of anxiety, triggers, emotional outbursts, or feeling stuck. That’s where EMDR comes in.

What is a Beachball Memory?

Beachball memories are unresolved traumas or emotionally charged experiences that haven’t been fully processed by the brain. Instead of being stored like regular memories, they’re stored with the same intensity and emotional weight as when they first happened. Your body may still respond as if the event is happening now—even years later.

Like a beachball held underwater, these memories take effort to suppress. Over time, this can lead to symptoms like:

• Anxiety or panic attacks

• Overreacting to small stressors

• Difficulty trusting others

• Feelings of shame or worthlessness

• Physical symptoms without clear cause

How EMDR Helps

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a research-backed therapy designed to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories and integrate them in a healthier way.

Instead of keeping the beachball memory submerged, EMDR allows it to rise to the surface in a controlled, safe way, so it can be felt, processed, and eventually lose its emotional charge.

Using bilateral stimulation (like eye movements, tapping, or sounds), EMDR activates the brain’s natural healing processes. Over time, the memory becomes less intense. The emotional weight lightens. The triggers lose their grip.

You don’t forget the memory—but it no longer rules your nervous system or hijacks your present.

What Clients Often Say After EMDR:

• "I still remember it, but it doesn’t hurt the same."

• "I finally feel like I’m not stuck in the past."

• "I can still see the memory but it’s like it’s been blurred."

You're Not Alone

If you're holding down a beachball memory—whether it’s from childhood, a recent loss, or something you’ve never shared—know that it’s not your fault. Your brain did its best to protect you. And now, with the right support, you can begin to release it.

Healing is possible. You don’t have to keep pushing that beachball down. Let EMDR help you come back to the surface—calmer, clearer, and more connected to the life you want to live.

— Jana Grimes, LMHC