EMDR was developed in 1987 by Dr. Francine Shapiro, an American psychologist, who discovered the positive effect of eye movements (looking from left to right) in combination with the processing of memories, to reduce emotional distress and treat post-traumatic stress disorder.
Approved by the high American standards in terms of therapeutic effectiveness for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, EMDR is now qualified as a psychotherapeutic approach in itself.
It can also be used in the treatment of other problems, such as: anxiety, depression, disturbing memories, relationship problems, addictions, eating disorders, etc.
After several studies, it now appears that one of the active ingredients of this approach would be the stimulation of dual attention, which can also be done by other means (for example: sound heard in each ear, vibrations in the hands ; all alternating from one side to the other). EMDR is therefore practiced using dual attention stimulation and evoking target memories.
How does EMDR work?
Normally, the brain is able to digest the events experienced. The individual may then remember having experienced a very difficult moment, but when he remembers it, he does not relive the same intense emotions and is not disturbed by them.
However, it happens that certain events are not “digested” well enough by the brain. Negative images, memories, smells, sensations, thoughts, etc. are then “printed” in memory without being modified/integrated. In the present moment, the person who thinks back to an event, voluntarily or not, can then feel the same emotional intensity as during the event, “reliving” it with the same sensations, emotions, smells, etc.
During the reprocessing phase of EMDR, the client is invited to explore the traumatic memory while maintaining a connection with the present moment via dual attention stimulation. This approach based on the AIP (Adaptive information processing) model allows the brain to reorganize the memory by integrating new information from the present, which helps to reduce emotional intensity. A future article will detail this AIP model.
Thus, the individual who goes through the therapeutic process comes to be able to evoke the traumatic memory, without this causing intense emotions or disturbances in him. The memory becomes, as it were, stripped of its emotional intensity and is imprinted in the autobiographical memory, as indeed being in the past.
Furthermore, it is not only the emotional charge that is worked on; the various sensations experienced at the time of the event are also reprocessed (e.g. a smell, a sensation of pain, intrusive sounds), allowing the resolution of memories and their various associations.
In conclusion, by using a holistic approach that targets both emotions, physical sensations and thoughts associated with traumatic memories, EMDR helps build resilience and move towards healing. At the Collective Evolution Institute, we integrate this modality into our interventions to offer it to a greater number of individuals, in order to contribute to better mental health among the population.
Gabrielle Pitre
Gabrielle Pitre is a psychologist specializing in the most recent approaches to the treatment of complex trauma and owner of Evolution, a psychology clinic.
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