Negative core beliefs are deeply held messages we carry about ourselves, others, and the world — formed during the moments when we most needed to make sense of what was happening to us.
They are not facts. They are survival conclusions — things our mind decided must be true when the world felt unsafe.
Rooted in complex trauma, these beliefs often run quietly in the background, shaping how we feel about ourselves and how safe we feel in the world.
Why We Identify Them
In EMDR therapy, naming these beliefs is an important step in healing. When we can name what we carry, we can begin to process it — and gradually replace it with something truer and kinder.