eli5 how does EMDR work to resolve trauma?
In: 7
Honestly I don’t know but it works.
There’s something about the combination of processing very specific memories and allowing the brain to go where it wants during the session, to allow the connections that are in the brain to be verbalised. Combined with actually having to track movement with your eyes while focusing on the feelings/emotions/trauma is like short-circuiting how the brain has been wired by your trauma.
The best description of what’s happening that I’ve heard is:
Imagine your brain is a wardrobe and it’s full of emotions and memories and behaviours all jammed in together in a tangled mess.
EMDR is like taking out something, folding it neatly and putting it back. The brain learns from this and starts doing that with related things.
Next session you refold something else and the brain starts Folding associated things.
And on and on and on until the wardrobe is effectively neat and tidy.
Having tried various forms of treatment for cptsd, EMdR is the first thing that’s worked.
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