EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a memory-network oriented therapy approach that helps the brain and nervous system process difficult experiences so they no longer feel “stuck.”
Our memories are not just snapshots of the past—they include our perceptions, beliefs, emotions, and even the sensations we felt in our bodies at the time. These memories are stored in networks in the brain. When something too overwhelming or distressing happens, the memory may not get stored or “filed away” in the usual, adaptive way. Instead, it can remain “unfiled,” looping in the nervous system and triggering distress or patterns of survival strategies long after the event is over. I like to say, “What’s stuck that’s causing yuck?”
Other experiences can wire into these maladaptively stored memories, creating entire networks that can fire together when triggered. I like to say, “what wires together fires together.” Science tells us that the way we store, remember, and associate our experiences is more important than what actually may have happened or didn’t happen. This is why we can even use EMDR to process pre-verbal or blocked memories.
EMDR works by helping the brain reprocess these stuck memories so they can be stored more adaptively. Through guided bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements, taps, or sounds), EMDR allows your nervous system to release the memory from its “stuck” state. Once reprocessed, the memory no longer carries the same emotional charge—it becomes part of your life story, but it doesn’t control how you feel today. Scientists think this works by replicating what takes place in our brains during REM sleep, which helps us to produce spontaneous insights and to process our day to day experiences.
What you can expect:
We’ll start by picking an issue that keeps coming up in your life. We’ll then work together to discover memories that may be associated to that issue. We’ll then pick a memory that feels like it may be “stuck” and causing the most “yuck” to reprocess. Utilizing bilaterial stimulation, usually through self- tapping with your hands, we’ll manually “reprocess” this memory.
EMDR takes a bit of “trusting the process,” but it is a highly manualized and evidence-backed approach. Clients are usually amazed at the insights they discover and how effective it is for completely reorganizing the way they feel about the original experience and changing their lives.
Read our blog post What The Heck is EMDR?! for more information about EMDR.