Our bodies and emotions get activated when there is no longer any danger, even after the memory of the event fades.

The reprocessing in EMDR allows the brain to create meaning or “a story” about the old memory. By bringing up the old beliefs, emotions, or reactions through the target memory.

The brain uses those painful memories to make meaning of what we experienced, often revealing to us things we “know” but never fully integrated.

An example may be someone who experienced a car accident and is afraid to drive or has triggers around certain items connected to the accident (ie. Car horns blowing, certain colors of cars cause fear, or being activated with anxiety/fear at the site of the accident).

The belief may be that the person thought s/he was going to die, and although s/he did not, the brain acts in fear as if the person experiences the same accident again and again.

EMDR allows the client to process the old belief “I’m going to die” into “I survived”, which, of course, the person knows but still feels the triggers.

Once the emotions, beliefs, and body sensations are less activated, the brain can process the information as normal, leaving the person with little to no activation (fear/anxiety) about the accident or what were once triggers, no longer are.

EMDR is done through bilateral stimulation of the brain through repeated sets of eye movements, tapping, or using sensors. This will be decided with your therapist through a collaborative approach.