So how does Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) work? It is neither voodoo nor magic.
Let’s start with how our brain processes information on a daily basis. We take in information from everywhere around us through our different channels: seeing, smelling, touching, hearing, tasting. When we go to sleep, this is when the brain starts processing it. Normally it happens during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep. If you have ever watched anyone sleep, you would see that their eyes move in their sleep. Then the brain washes itself and we are ready for the new day. However, when big events happen, let’s say for some people it can be a car accident, for some - childhood emotional abuse, loss of a loved one, sexual assault, narcissistic abuse, violence in the home, our brains get overloaded and overwhelmed with information like that and are not able to process it. These memories and emotions are stored in our limbic system. The limbic system is responsible for all our emotions and feelings. So what happens in the brain is that these events get stuck there like a blister in “raw” emotional form with no logic or reason. Throughout life we can accumulate quite a few of those. And over time those “blisters” become harder. If you poked a blister before, you know it is a pretty unpleasant and painful experience. So, when we see something that slightly reminds us of those events from our past, and sometimes the reminders can remain mysteries, it pokes on those “blisters” and we experience a big emotional and physical reaction. Some memories can even be long forgotten. But the painful feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, panic, dissociation are still there. Our ability to live in the present moment is disrupted.
Our brain, just like our body, can heal itself naturally. Much of this natural coping occurs in our sleep during that REM stage. Francine Shapiro developed EMDR utilizing this natural ability of the brain. EMDR requires both hemispheres of the brain to be working at the same time which enhances the brain activity. We all make both hemispheres of the brain work on a daily basis when we walk, ride a horse, play the piano, tap on alternate sides of our body. This is what we call bilateral stimulation - activating both hemispheres of the brain. In an EMDR session such bilateral stimulation can be achieved either through following the light with your eyes, listening to alternating sound in the headphones, or holding on to vibrating tappers. With the use of bilateral stimulation we achieve the same activity in the brain like in REM sleep which temporarily slows our overstimulated amygdala down and synchronizes our brain waves helping us process the traumatic memory. This suggests that during EMDR therapy the traumatic memories are continuously reactivated, replayed and encoded into existing memory networks. EMDR helps to infiltrate the stalled processes, “blisters”, and create the connection between your brain’s memory network, enabling your brain to process traumatic experiences by breaking the “blisters” down and shifting you from a maladaptive mindset to an adaptive one. So that the memory is no longer stored in the “raw” form but rather becomes just a story from your past. And when you think about the story, share it or even notice the reminders of that event, you no longer experience the painful feelings. All we need from our past is wisdom, not pain.