When Miley Cyrus opens up, people listen. In a recent interview, she shared how EMDR therapy—short for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing—helped her navigate some of the darkest moments of her life. This wasn’t just another wellness trend or celebrity buzzword. For Miley, this therapy was the key to unlocking years of subconscious pain.
Miley Cyrus Found Peace in a Therapy You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
One particularly emotional session led her to imagine her life as if she were watching it from a train window. As her memories rolled by, she uncovered fears rooted deep in childhood—ones she hadn’t even realized she carried. From her mother’s emotional struggles to the circumstances around her birth, Miley began connecting the dots between her past and her stage anxiety. With EMDR, she says she was able to reprocess those memories and finally release the weight of fear that used to paralyze her before performing.
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“It’s like watching a movie in your mind, but it’s different than dreaming, you know, you’re kind of more in yourself, but still in another place of consciousness that’s really hard to describe,” Miley Cyrus explained on a New York Times interview.
@nytimes Miley Cyrus’s life has been shaped by fame. She discussed how she worked through her complicated feelings about stardom, including the therapy she said had saved her, on “The Interview.” Read, listen to or watch our full conversation with @Miley Cyrus at the link in our bio. To see more clips, check out “The Interview” on YouTube. Video by Eddie Costas, Alfredo Chiarappa, Pat Gunther, Felice León and Brooke Minters/The New York Times #mileycyrus #somethingbeautiful #therapy ♬ original sound – The New York Times
What Is EMDR Therapy, and How Does It Work?
EMDR therapy might sound a little out there at first, but it’s a well-researched, effective method used by mental health professionals to treat trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and more. It was developed in the late ’80s and is built around a pretty fascinating idea: that your brain can heal itself, just like your body does.
The therapy uses something called bilateral stimulation—like guided eye movements, tapping, or sounds—to help the brain process distressing memories. While you’re doing this, you recall specific events that are painful or emotionally charged. It might seem intense, but it’s done in a safe, guided way that slowly takes the sting out of those moments.
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Rewriting the Story: Healing Through Memory Reprocessing
At the core of EMDR is something called the Adaptive Information Processing model. In simple terms, it means our brains don’t always store traumatic memories properly. So when those memories get triggered, they can feel just as painful as when they first happened. EMDR helps rewire how those memories are stored—so they don’t hurt as much anymore.
Through EMDR’s eight-phase structure, patients move from identifying traumatic memories to completely reprocessing them. It’s not hypnosis, and you’re totally aware the whole time—but it does help your brain make new, healthier connections.
Why So Many People (Including Celebs) Are Turning to EMDR
While EMDR has become a popular tool in trauma therapy, it’s also being embraced by people dealing with performance anxiety, childhood wounds, breakups, and more. Some experts even believe the way EMDR works is similar to what happens in REM sleep—when our brains naturally file away memories and emotions.
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Miley isn’t the only star to advocate for it. Artists like Ariana Grande have also spoken out about how important therapy is for those who grew up in the spotlight. But EMDR isn’t just for celebrities—it’s for anyone trying to heal something that still lingers, even years later.
Is EMDR Right for You? Here’s How to Know
You don’t need to have lived through extreme trauma to benefit from EMDR. If there’s a memory, fear, or emotion that still feels “stuck”—like it keeps popping up no matter how much time has passed—that’s a big clue EMDR could help. Maybe it’s an old breakup you never fully got over, a childhood experience that still makes your stomach drop, or anxiety that seems to come out of nowhere.
Therapists often recommend EMDR to people dealing with:
- Past emotional or physical trauma
- Performance anxiety or phobias
- Panic attacks and chronic stress
- Unresolved grief or relationship wounds
- PTSD or symptoms from complex childhoods
The best way to know for sure? Talk to a licensed therapist trained in EMDR. They’ll help you figure out if your experiences align with this type of therapy—and guide you through the process if it feels like the right fit.
Just like it did for Miley, EMDR could be the beginning of a deeper, more lasting kind of healing.
