EMDR: How Does It Affect Your Brain?
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing is a type of therapy that utilizes bilateral stimulation to help people overcome the effects of everything from trauma to anxiety. But, EMDR is more than just a short-term therapy that can help you change your perspective.
It can actually have a positive impact on your brain, triggering the mind’s natural healing receptors and making it easier to reprocess negative memories while gaining new insights.
If you’ve been interested in EMDR, it’s important to know how it affects the brain. Let’s dig a little deeper into what you can expect and the rewiring of your brain chemistry that often comes from these sessions.
The Segmented Process of EMDR
Many people turn to EMDR therapy because it’s somewhat different from traditional talk therapy methods. However, you’ll still need to do some talking and opening up so your therapist can better understand your history. That history will help them create a detailed treatment plan.
Additionally, when your therapist gets to know you, they’ll be able to help you focus on a specific memory during a session. You’ll evaluate that traumatic memory, install positive thoughts to replace the memory, and go through a body scan for a somatic response.
This segmented approach to EMDR can take anywhere from six to twelve weeks. During the process, your brain essentially learns how to organize negative or traumatic thoughts the right way, rather than letting them take over your life.
How does that work?
The Filing Cabinet of Thoughts and Memories
Think of your brain as a giant filing cabinet. Every memory that’s created — good and bad — has a specific file to go in. That organization typically happens during REM sleep. Unfortunately, some of those memories can go unfiled. When it’s a negative or traumatic memory, it becomes unprocessed.
If something triggers that unprocessed memory, it can feel as though you’re re-living it all over again. It feels fresh, new, and just as frightening as when it first happened.
EMDR doesn’t cause you to lose those memories. Rather, it calms the amygdala — the part of your brain responsible for processing emotions. When the amygdala isn’t as hyperactive, you can reprocess negative memories and see them in a more positive light. So, while an experience of trauma won’t necessarily leave your mind, EMDR can help you feel like you have more control by lessening the intensity and reminding you of where you are now.
The Power of Bilateral Stimulation
EMDR calms the amygdala with bilateral stimulation. Bilateral stimulation (rapid eye movement and thinking about or talking about the memory) helps to get the negative memories “unstuck” from where they’ve been, so you can process them in healthy, effective, and safe ways.
As you focus on the negative memory, your therapist will guide you in moving your eyes back and forth. This simultaneous action causes unprocessed memories to essentially find a home. When you’re in a safe environment being guided in healthy ways, you can ensure that home is in a place where you know the memory can’t harm you, and you’re in control.
It’s not uncommon to feel fatigued after an EMDR session. Your mind and body are going through a lot. That’s why the body scan stage is so important, so you can keep moving forward with your treatment while knowing what to expect in the future.
The Long-Term Effects of EMDR
EMDR is a short-term therapy with long-term results. It’s a science-backed approach to changing the way you think about traumatic or negative memories. The long-term effects include reduced anxiety, improved mental health, and greater resilience to any more negative memories that might come to the surface.
If you’re interested in learning more about EMDR, feel free to contact me, or if you’re ready to experience the healing effects of EMDR, set up an appointment.
