Trauma and the Inner Critic Duo: How EMDR Can Help with Negative Self-Beliefs
Many trauma survivors have a relentless, harsh inner voice. It whispers doubt, fault, unworthiness, and many other negative experiences. This voice, the so-called inner critic, can become so loud that it dominates over all of the inner world.
The inner critic starts as a protective mechanism and a way to keep the person safe, alert, and acceptable in their environment. But what was supposed to be a survival strategy slowly turned into a governing method. An inner critic tyranny that reigns long, long after the external danger has passed, and its function is more than obsolete. Over time, the same protective mechanism has turned on the person and become an internalized source of pain, shame, and self-blame.
There is a way to overturn the tyranny, though. The good news is that trauma-informed therapies like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) can help reprocess the root causes of these harsh beliefs, transforming that inner critic into a more compassionate ally. Stay with me as I explain the theory and the methods of “how”.
Understanding the Inner Critic
The inner critic is that internal voice that judges, blames, or shames us for not being good enough. As psychologist Paul Gilbert describes, the inner critic is a part of our threat system. It sounds the alarm so we timely protect ourselves from rejection, failure, or future pain.
The inner critic is often born in childhood. It helps children internalize rules, expectations, and behaviors, and self-correct when they have the urge to break them. Now, imagine living in environments where love felt conditional, mistakes were punished, or emotions weren’t safe to express. Unfortunately, the words we hear as children, we internalize, regardless of whether they are healthy or not. For children in such environments, being self-critical often felt safer than risking the disapproval or anger of others. The logic is simple - “I overthink the negative things they may say or do, and do everything to prevent such a scenario,” and “Whenever I do get punished, I wouldn’t have, if I didn’t do what I did.” You see the forming circle between self-criticism and self-blame? Imagine any kind of adverse childhood experience or developmental trauma, apply the same logic, and you get the developmental creation of the inner critic.
In another scenario, the inner critic can be born out of trauma. And the logic there is even simpler - “I did something to add to the possibility of experiencing this traumatic experience.” I engaged with that person, I drove down that road, I didn’t insulate the house properly… Whatever it is, self-blame often appears after a traumatic experience to try to prevent any similar pain in the future. And, to prevent self-blaming after the fact, the brain starts self-critisizing before it.
Over time, this critic becomes a form of an internalized caregiver. Yes, a very harsh one, but also familiar. It believes that staying small or perfect might prevent pain. Unfortunately, this constant self-surveillance keeps the nervous system in chronic stress, cutting the person off from self-trust and emotional safety. For trauma survivors, this protective system becomes overactive. The amygdala, the brain’s “alarm center,” learns to fire even in non-threatening situations, continuously reinforcing the circles of self-blame and vigilance.
The Trauma–Inner Critic Connection
In the previous section, we explained how the inner critic is usually “born,” but the connection between trauma and the inner critic runs even deeper. When someone experiences trauma, especially early or relational trauma, it leaves behind more than memories to cope with. It imprints negative core self-beliefs and wires the brain to expect danger. Blaming oneself in overwhelming experiences gives a sense of “control”; an ability to do something next time and never put oneself into the same position. Self-criticism then acts as the protective mechanism that ensures that.
Negative core beliefs and thoughts like “I’m not safe,” “I’m unworthy,” or “It’s my fault” become the soil on which the inner critic grows. Thoughts are the starting point behind behaviors, and when the mind sets something as true, it will find “objective” arguments that prove it. With time, unsafety becomes true everywhere, unworthiness becomes true with everyone, faultiness becomes true with everything. What looks like “self-sabotage” is really a nervous system still trying to protect itself from even more pain.
On a neurological side, trauma wires the nervous system to expect danger, even in safe situations. The inner critic is the voice of that expectation, scanning for mistakes, cues of rejection, or sources of danger. As Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (2014) explains, trauma keeps the body and brain in a constant state of vigilance. Regardless of whether it’s a chronic developmental trauma or a one-time traumatic experience, the nervous system stays alarmed, scanning for cues of danger to save itself from.
How EMDR Addresses Negative Self-Beliefs
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a powerful trauma therapy that helps reprocess the memories and beliefs that keep the inner critic alive. Using the AIP model (Adaptive Information Processing), EMDR posits that traumatic experiences are stored in the brain in a maladaptive way. Instead of storing them as it usually does, the brain stores them as fragments, divided from the whole experience. Remembered as short snippets, scenes, feelings, or sentences, to the brain, these memories happen in the present. For the nervous system, the traumatic experience wasn’t in the past; it’s still happening. These unprocessed memories continue to trigger feelings of danger and shame, fueling negative self-beliefs.
The EMDR therapist works together with the client to identify a specific belief and trace it back to the earliest memory where it was created. With the help of bilateral stimulation (eye movement, among other things), the brain is prompted to re-process that memory once more and integrate it more deeply and with more adaptive information. As reprocessing continues, the nervous system begins to release its grip on self-blame. A client moves from “It was my fault” to “I was doing my best with what I knew.”
EMDR also teaches emotional regulation and helps build capacity for staying present in triggering moments. Instead of silencing the inner critic through willpower, EMDR helps to change the memory network that created it in the first place. The result is a quieter, kinder internal monologue where self-worth comes from a lived truth rather than a mental affirmation.
There is a lot more to what EMDR does to alleviate symptoms of trauma survivors. If you want to learn more, head over to some of the other blogs. In our Journal, you can learn about EMDR, the difficulties that EMDR can help with, its misconceptions, its benefits, and much more.
Integrating Compassion and Self-Acceptance
Once EMDR softens old trauma patterns, compassion-based approaches can help clients create a new relationship with the inner critic. Instead of trying to get rid of it, therapy helps clients befriend this part and recognize it like the protector it is.
When combined with Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Compassion-Focused Therapy, or Internal Family Systems, EMDR deepens the healing process by encouraging curiosity instead of judgment. The client is prompted to:
Name the critic’s presence (“This is the part of me that’s afraid of rejection”).
Use bilateral stimulation while holding a compassionate phrase (“I was only trying to stay safe”).
Practicing gentle self-talk that counters the critic’s intensity with warmth.
As Kristin Neff (2011) explains, self-compassion doesn’t mean avoiding responsibility. It means meeting our suffering with understanding and compassion. This shift allows survivors to feel safe enough to grow beyond self-punishment.
Practical Takeaways
Self-criticism isn’t a weakness or a personal flaw. It’s simply a symptom of unhealed trauma, a protective mechanism turned into a default inner monologue. And, healing begins with awareness. Try noticing when your inner critic speaks:
What tone does it use?
What emotions follow?
What is it trying to protect you from?
Then, you can use simple grounding practices to regulate the body. Slow and deep breathing can help you ground yourself, while orientation techniques like looking around and naming five things you see can remind your body that you are safe.
Of course, these actions are not a substitute for professional guidance and help. For deeper transformation, EMDR therapy can help identify the root memories behind the critical voice, reprocess them more healthily and realistically, and lead you to live with more self-trust and compassion.
Final Thoughts
The inner critic is your body’s way of trying to keep you safe in a world that once felt dangerous. Now, it just repeats the same things, although the circumstances have completely changed. Through EMDR and trauma-informed therapy, those old beliefs can be reprocessed, and new, constructive, and supportive ones can take the lead.
The aim of therapeutic healing is not about silencing the critic, but transforming it into a voice of care and protection. If you’re ready to quiet the inner critic and heal the roots of self-doubt, EMDR therapy can help. At EMDR Therapy Nashville, our trauma-informed clinicians specialize in helping clients reprocess painful memories and rebuild a sense of safety within. Reach out to our trauma-informed team to start the work toward self-trust, calm, and emotional freedom.
References
Gilbert, P. (2010). Compassion Focused Therapy: The CBT Distinctive Features Series.
Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures.
Neff, K. D. (2011). Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself.