Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, or EMDR, is a form of psychotherapy that helps people overcome the effects of psychological trauma. EMDR therapy involves recalling distressing events while using bilateral stimulation, which helps to process the memory and make it less emotionally upsetting.
Let’s examine the science and psychology of how EMDR processes trauma at the neurological level, what parts of the brain are activated during EMDR, and how bilateral stimulation impacts memory.
How Does EMDR Reprocess Traumatic Memories?
EMDR works by stimulating the memory network in your brain that processes traumatic events. It is based on the idea that when a distressing or traumatic experience occurs, it can overwhelm your brain’s natural coping mechanisms. The associated stimuli and memory are then insufficiently processed and stored in an isolated network. EMDR therapy helps process these traumatic memories, reducing their emotional impact and integrating them into more adaptive neural networks.
During EMDR therapy, you recall distressing events while receiving bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, taps, or tones. This helps your brain process the traumatic memory. Unprocessed trauma makes you feel like you are reliving the traumatic event over and over, but EMDR helps lift you out of it.
The bilateral stimulation is key. It activates both sides of your brain, helping it process the traumatic memory and the negative emotions and thoughts associated with it. This can help desensitize you to the traumatic memory and reframe negative thoughts.
Throughout treatment, the memory loses its painful emotional charge, negative beliefs are revised, and you gain insights that free you from the past and allow you to live a healthier life. The traumatic experience is still remembered but in a less painful, more detached manner.
EMDR allows you to see your trauma in a new, less painful way. With the guidance of your EMDR therapist, you can reframe negative and irrational thoughts about yourself and the traumatic event. You start developing more positive beliefs that strengthen your empowerment and support your healing ability. The past stays in the past, allowing you to live free from haunting and painful memories.
The Effects of EMDR on the Brain
When you undergo EMDR therapy, some interesting changes occur in your brain. EMDR activates the memory centers of your brain, including the hippocampus and amygdala. The hippocampus helps store and retrieve memories, while the amygdala regulates emotional reactions like fear, panic, and distress. During EMDR, these brain parts are stimulated through the bilateral stimulation used in the therapy.
This stimulation helps rewire and reframe traumatic memories, making them less emotionally upsetting. Studies show EMDR can lead to connectivity changes between different brain regions involved in memory and emotion regulation. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for logical thinking and reasoning, shows increased activity. At the same time, the amygdala shows decreased reactivity.
This combination of effects leads to a sense of detachment from the traumatic emotions associated with the memory. You’ll find that the memory seems less vivid and distressing. It’s as if the memory has been properly filed away as something in the past rather than an event that continues to feel frightening in the present.
EMDR also increases theta waves in the brain, which are linked to relaxation and meditation. This relaxed, meditative state makes it easier to process traumatic memories and the distressing emotions attached to them. Many clients report entering an almost trance-like state during EMDR reprocessing.
EMDR is an intricate therapy that activates different parts of the brain to process traumatic memories in a healthier way. While researchers are still trying to understand exactly how the bilateral stimulation interacts with our neural pathways, the positive effects of EMDR are clear. If you’re struggling with PTSD or emotional disturbances from past experiences, consider giving EMDR therapy a chance by booking an appointment with us today.
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