EMDR and Veterans: Finding Healing After War

Shirli H Libet, MS LMFT
Sep 3
3 min read

For many veterans, the battle doesn’t end once they come home. Memories of combat, loss, and trauma can linger long after deployment, showing up in nightmares, flashbacks, and a constant feeling of being on high alert. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a heavy burden that too many veterans carry silently.

That’s where EMDR therapy has shown incredible promise.

As a therapist, I’ve seen firsthand how effective EMDR can be in helping people process painful memories and reclaim their lives. And as someone who has personally witnessed the lasting effects of war overseas, this work is deeply meaningful to me. Veterans deserve more than survival—they deserve healing.

EMDR and Veterans: Finding Healing After War

Why Veterans Develop PTSD

PTSD in soldiers doesn’t come from weakness—it comes from carrying the weight of extraordinary human experiences. Some of the most common causes include:

Fear of death: The constant exposure to life-threatening situations leaves the nervous system in a state of high alert long after returning home.
Responsibility for others: Many veterans carry the heavy burden of protecting their fellow soldiers. When someone is injured or lost, survivors often feel guilt, even if it was out of their control.
Witnessing loss and suffering: Seeing fellow soldiers, civilians, or even enemies suffer can leave deep scars that are hard to process.
Moral injury: Sometimes the hardest wounds come from situations that clash with a soldier’s values—decisions made in the chaos of war that are replayed again and again in their minds.
Survivor’s guilt: Coming home when others did not is a weight that many veterans struggle to carry.

These layers of trauma explain why veterans often feel stuck in the past and why traditional talk therapy alone may not be enough. EMDR gives them another path forward.

Stories of Strength and Healing

The Soldier Who Could Finally Sleep: After years of waking up in a sweat from combat nightmares, a veteran shared that after several EMDR sessions, he slept through the night for the first time since returning home. The relief on his face was unforgettable—finally, rest was possible.
The Marine Who Could Enter a Crowd Again: One former Marine struggled with hypervigilance, unable to go to a grocery store without scanning for threats. Through EMDR, he was able to reduce his anxiety, eventually attending his daughter’s school play without fear taking over.
The Medic Who Found His Voice: A combat medic carried guilt over the lives he couldn’t save. EMDR helped him release the belief that he had failed, allowing him to honor his service and speak openly with his family for the first time about what he went through.

Each of these stories reflects the power of EMDR: it doesn’t erase the past, but it transforms the way the past lives inside of us.

A Personal Note

Having spent time overseas and seen the reality of war, I know how deep these wounds run. It’s not just about memories—it’s about carrying them in the body, in relationships, and in the silence that follows. EMDR gives veterans the tools to process those memories so they no longer control the present. That’s why I’m passionate about bringing this therapy to those who served.