EMDR relies on the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model which recognizes that your brain stores normal and traumatic memories differently.
During normal events, your brain stores memories smoothly with a time stamp on the memory (which allow us to understand that this memory happened in the past)
During disturbing or upsetting events, that networking doesn’t happen correctly. The memories connected to survival situations are stored in our “Lizard brain” – the amygdala which is responsible to mange our survival, fight or flight and is producing hormones and catalysts which help us to survive.
When a traumatic event is happening its memory is stored in the amygdala (so if it happens again we will respond more efficiently) without a time stamp.
That means that every time a trigger which reminds us of the original trauma we will have a trauma response (we will actually return to the memory of the trauma and experience it as it is happening right now because of the lack of the time stamp we cannot distinguish between the present moment and the memory of the original traumatic event) even if the current event is not traumatic.
The brain can go “offline” and there’s a disconnect between what you experience (feel, hear, see) and what your brain stores in memory through language.
Newer experiences can link up to earlier trauma experiences and reinforce a negative experience over and over again. That disrupts the links between your senses and memories. It also acts as an injury to your mind. And just like your body is sensitive to pain from an injury, your mind has a higher sensitivity to things you saw, heard, smelled or felt during a trauma-related event.
This happens not only with events you can remember, but also with suppressed memories. Much like how you learn not to touch a hot stove because it burns your hand, your mind tries to suppress memories to avoid accessing them because they’re painful or upsetting. However, the suppression isn’t perfect, meaning the “injury” can still cause negative symptoms, emotions and behaviors.
EMDR is allowing the integration of the traumatic memory by giving it a time stamp and by that transforming it into a painful memory instead of a live event.
The EMDR sessions are 1.5 hours each and they are very effective for breakthroughs and relief of painful places