This week is Police Week, a time to raise awareness around the challenges that police officers and others in law enforcement face, and remember those lost on the job. We asked Dr. Stacy Raymond, police psychologist, to share why she believes EMDR therapy is the go-to therapy for this population.

Healing Cumulative Trauma in Law Enforcement with EMDR Therapy 

Guest Blog Post by Stacy Raymond, Psy.D.

The conversation around mental health in law enforcement is shifting. While stigma still exists, more departments are starting to recognize something clinicians have known for a long time: psychological readiness matters just as much as tactical readiness (Velazquez & Hernandez, 2019).

Trauma in policing is not the result of a single incident. It accumulates. It layers over time, often without being processed. Eventually, it starts to shape how officers think, how they relate to people, and how they function both on duty and at home (Daniel et al., 2022). If agencies expect officers to sustain long careers in high-risk environments, trauma cannot be treated as an afterthought. It must be addressed with the same consistency as physical training. 

This blog looks at how developmental history and occupational exposure intersect in police populations, and how EMDR therapy can be used effectively with officers who are often reluctant to engage in therapy. 

Understanding resistance to care

When officers avoid therapy, the default explanation is stigma or departmental culture. That is part of their avoidance; it is not the whole picture. 

 In my clinical work, a consistent pattern has emerged. Some officers present with significant early adversity and an interpersonal style defined by mistrust and self-reliance. These patterns were not formed on the job. They were present long before entry into law enforcement. This is supported by survey data collected from 177 sworn police officers in Connecticut (Raymond, 2026). A substantial subset of officers endorsed elevated Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) scores along with attachment patterns characterized by avoidance and mistrust (Felitti et al., 1998). These factors were associated with a decreased likelihood of seeking psychological support. 

 The same dataset showed that 36% of officers acknowledged they needed help but preferred to handle problems on their own. That preference was significantly associated with higher ACE exposure. In other words, reluctance to seek care is not just cultural; it is also developmental. 

This is heard in how officers frame their experience: 

  • “I should be able to handle this.”  
  • “Needing help is a personal failure.”  
  • “You can’t trust anybody.”  

From an attachment standpoint, these beliefs reflect avoidant strategies. The focus is on maintaining control, minimizing emotional needs, and limiting dependence on others (Hazan & Shaver, 1987). Policing reinforces these tendencies. The job rewards compartmentalization, vigilance, and emotional restraint. Those traits are useful operationally, but they come with costs outside of that context. 

Clinically, these officers often appear composed and task-focused. They may minimize symptoms or frame concerns in terms of performance rather than distress. At the same time, physiological indicators of dysregulation are often present, including disrupted sleep, irritability, emotional constriction, and persistent hyperarousal. 

Avoidant officers (those with a high ACEs score) are typically the last to seek care. They are also the most likely to disengage early if the clinical approach feels misaligned or if they anticipate judgment (Dachinger et al., 2025). 

A clinical illustration

This is a composite case, but the pattern is common. 

Officer P. came into treatment after completing a residential program for alcohol dependence. He was guarded from the start with minimal eye contact and short answers. He made it clear he was there because it had been recommended, not because he expected anything useful to come from it.

His history included significant childhood adversity, including abuse and a family environment where emotions were not discussed. He learned early to handle things on his own. Alcohol became the most reliable way to manage distress.

On the job, he had repeated exposure to traumatic incidents, including cases involving child death. He never sought help for any of it.

What finally disrupted things was a medical scare. Before anything was confirmed, he assumed the worst. He stopped coming to sessions, relapsed, and withdrew from work. When contact was reestablished, he asked his supervisor, “Are you disappointed in me?”

That question tells you more than anything else. The expectation was already there. It reflects an already established expectation that he would be judged and found lacking, even before any response was given.

When Officer P. is under threat, his system does one thing. It shuts down connection and moves toward isolation and self-reliance. That applies also to trauma, to health concerns, and to treatment.

Progress did not come from pushing insight. It came from consistent, nonjudgmental engagement and EMDR therapy work that addressed both early experiences and cumulative job-related trauma. As his expectation of rejection shifted, his ability to stay engaged improved.

This is the work with this population. Motivation to get better is not usually the issue. Anticipated judgment is.

The role and limits of peer support

Peer support matters. It reduces isolation and often provides the first opening for someone to talk (Fox et al., 2012; Waters & Ussery, 2007). 

It also has limits. 

For officers with strong avoidant patterns, the problem is not access to people. The problem is what vulnerability represents. Even in a trusted peer setting, opening up can trigger shame or concern about how they will be seen. Some will deflect with humor. Others will minimize. Some will simply not engage. 

From a clinical standpoint, that is not resistance. It is a learned strategy. Peer programs work best when they do more than listen. They need clear, active pathways to professional care. The more direct the handoff, the better the follow-through. 

Why cultural competence matters

You cannot do this work well without understanding the culture (Dachinger et al., 2025). Officers pick up quickly on whether a clinician understands their job. If you do not grasp use-of-force investigations, chain of command, or the function of hypervigilance, the therapeutic alliance will likely be thin. 

There is also a timing issue that clinicians sometimes miss. Many officers report feeling more dysregulated at home than on duty. On the job, there is a target for the emotional arousal. At home, there is not. The system is still activated, but the environment does not match it. 

Early in treatment, less is more in terms of emotional processing. Structure helps. Clear rationale helps. Neurobiological explanations help. 

The AIP model is particularly useful here. When symptoms are framed as the result of how experiences have been stored, rather than as personal weakness, defensiveness tends to drop. 

What EMDR therapy looks like

EMDR therapy fits this population well, in part because it does not rely on prolonged verbal disclosure (Wilson et al., 2001). For officers who associate emotional expression with loss of control, this matters. The structure of EMDR allows them to engage in processing while maintaining a sense of containment. That alone lowers the barrier to participation (Shapiro, 2001, 2018).

Recent research also speaks to what happens once officers do engage (Raymond, 2026). Among officers who had attended therapy, 79% reported that it was helpful, and 97% stated they would recommend therapy to a colleague. These findings are consistent with what many clinicians observe in practice. Resistance is front-loaded. It is most pronounced before treatment begins.

Once officers enter treatment and experience it as structured, goal-oriented, and nonjudgmental, engagement tends to improve. In EMDR specifically, many officers respond well to the procedural clarity. They understand what the target is. They understand what they are being asked to do. They can track change. This aligns with how they are trained to approach problems in their professional role.

When preparation is adequate and the therapeutic alliance is solid, officers often demonstrate efficient reductions in disturbance. The work does not require them to abandon control. It requires them to use it differently. The clinical task, then, is not convincing officers that EMDR works. It is helping them get far enough into the process to see that it does.

Leadership and organizational influence

Individual treatment does not happen in a vacuum. Departments that treat mental health as optional get predictable results. Low engagement, delayed care, and more serious downstream problems. Departments that build wellness into the structure of the organization tend to see better outcomes (Papazoglou & Blumberg, 2020).

Supervisors matter more than policy in many cases. One direct, respectful conversation can be enough to shift an officer’s willingness to seek help. Training supervisors to recognize what they are seeing and respond without judgment is not complicated, but unfortunately, it is also not standard in many places.

Early intervention opportunities

There is a window after exposure where intervention can make a meaningful difference. 

The Recent Traumatic Episode Protocol (R-TEP) (Shapiro & Laub, 2008) is an EMDR therapy-derived approach designed for that window. As an Early EMDR Intervention (EEI), it is specifically designed to process recent traumatic events. It targets the full sequence of an event, not just a single moment, which makes it particularly useful for complex incidents. When used early, it can reduce the likelihood that acute responses consolidate into something more chronic. 

Officers who have already done EMDR therapy tend to move through R-TEP targets efficiently. The structure is familiar, and the expectations are clear. 

Looking upstream

It is expected that some officers are not going to self-refer. If that is the case, the system must adjust to help meet the needs of these officers. Education can start in the academy. Supervisors can be trained to recognize behavioral shifts. Access to care can be structured in ways that do not depend entirely on the individual deciding to seek help. 

This is not about labeling officers as impaired. It is about recognizing patterns that were once adaptive and are now getting in the way. 

EMDR therapy as smart prevention

Trauma exposure is part of the job, but long-term impairment does not have to be. EMDR therapy provides a structured, effective approach that aligns with how many officers prefer to work, particularly when it is paired with cultural competence, organizational support, and earlier intervention.

Mental health in law enforcement is not optional; it functions like any other form of protective equipment and works best when it is in place before things start to break down.

 

Dr. Stacy Raymond is a clinical psychologist who has been in private practice in Ridgefield Connecticut for 27 years. She is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant,™ an approved clinician for the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), and a member of the Police Psychological Services Section of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). The daughter of a retired police officer and US Marine, Dr. Raymond is also a member of the Fairfield County Trauma Response Team, a volunteer group of EMDR trained clinicians who offer CISM interventions and education to first responder departments throughout Connecticut. In addition, Dr. Raymond co-leads a free weekly peer support meeting for first responders and co-hosts the weekly podcast Responder Resilience.

 

References 

Dachinger, D., Rumilly, B., Raymond, S. (2025). Helping the helpers: The clinician’s guide to first responder mental wellness. Twin Flames Publishing. Amazon. 

Daniel, S., & Treece, K. (2022). Law enforcement pathways to mental health: Secondary traumatic stress, social support, and social pressure. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 37(1), 132–140.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-021-09476-5

Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., Koss, M. P., & Marks, J. S. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0749-3797(98)00017-8

Fox, J., Desai, M. M., Britten, K., Lucas, G., Luneau, R., & Rosenthal, M. S. (2012). Mental-health conditions, barriers to care, and productivity loss among officers in an urban police department. Connecticut Medicine, 76(9), 525–531. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4089972/

Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(3), 511–524. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-3514.52.3.511

Lansing, K., Amen, D. G., Hanks, C., & Rudy, L. (2005). High-resolution brain SPECT imaging and EMDR in police officers with PTSD. Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 17(4), 526–532. https://doi.org/10.1176/jnp.17.4.526

Papazoglou, K., & Blumberg, D. M. (2020). Occupational stress and resilience in law enforcement. In D. M. Blumberg et al. (Eds.), Stress and coping in law enforcement (pp. 3–20). Springer. 

Raymond, S. (2026). Dump the bucket: Healing trauma in police with EMDR. Amazon. 

Shapiro, E., & Laub, B. (2008). Early EMDR intervention (EEI): A summary, a theoretical model, and the recent traumatic episode protocol (R-TEP). Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 2(2), 79–96. https://doi.org/10.1891/1933-3196.2.2.79

Shapiro, F. (2001). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (2nd ed.). Guilford Press. 

Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (3rd ed.). Guilford Press. 

Velazquez, E., & Hernandez, M. (2019). Effects of police officer exposure to traumatic experiences and recognizing the stigma associated with police officer mental health. Policing: An International Journal, 42(4), 711–724. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-09-2018-0147 

Waters, J. A., & Ussery, W. (2007). Police stress: History, contributing factors, symptoms, and interventions. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 30(2), 169-188. https://doi.org/10.1108/13639510710753199

Wilson, S. A., Tinker, R. H., Becker, L. A., & Logan, C. R. (2001). Stress management with law enforcement personnel: A controlled outcome study of EMDR versus a traditional stress management program.
International Journal of Stress Management, 8(3), 179–200. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1023/A:1011366408693

 

 

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Additional Resources

If you are a therapist interested in the EMDR training:

If you are EMDR trained:

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Basic Info Collapse

Date
May 15, 2026

Contributor(s)
Stacy Raymond, PsyD

Topics
Attachment

Client Population
First Responders/Healthcare Workers

More Info Collapse

Audience
EMDR Therapists

Language
English

Content Type
Blog/Blog Post

Access Type
Open Access

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