EMDR and Your Brain

EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is an evidence based practice of using Bilateral Stimulation (BLS) to restructure negative neural pathways.

Brain Hemispheres & BiLateral Stimulation

The right brain controls the left side of the body and is responsible for things like: activation of fight or flight, non-verbal and unconscious processing, holistic thought, and intuition. It is our more artistic, musical, and creative side.

The left brain controls the right side of our body, and works as our verbal and conscious processing system. It uses logic, language, and analytic thought. It is the side of the brain that helps us in science and math.

EMDR simply believes that two brains are better than one. BLS seeks to activate both the left and right hemispheres while processing feelings and sensations in the body and mind.

EMDR and Treatment:

Traumatic or wounding memories may have a maladaptive linkage to our current state of being and nervous system. Meaning our memories or past traumas may distort our perceptions, body sensations, attitudes and behaviors in the here and now. EMDR hopes to unravel this negative neural pathway or “desensitize” a traumatic memory by using a channel of free association, coupled with intervals of Bilateral Stimulation, and deep breathing. Bilateral stimulation (BLS) can be in the form of eye movement, tapping, auditory stimulation via earphones, vibrating handheld buzzers, drumming or movements like stepping in place. The goal of EMDR is to replace a negative core belief with a more adaptive one. EMDR is very much client lead and used to treat everything and anything from anxiety, PTSD, low self-esteem, grief and loss, trauma, sexual assault, and depression.

www.emdr.com

Body, Mind, & The Brain:

The hypothalamus tells us when we are hungry or thirsty. It is intimately tied to our body, as it maintains and controls our body temperature and the pituitary gland, which controls our endocrine system. The hypothalamus connects the endocrine system to the nervous system.

The Amygdala directs our fear response and remembers our emotions. It tells us when a situation is potentially threatening or dangerous.

Our Hippocampus stores long term memory and emotional responses. It remembers locations and people. Without the hippocampus, we could not get home.

Balance is controlled by the Cerebellum. It keeps us upright and controls our muscles. While the Cerebellum helps us walk around, the Medulla allows us to breathe and perform other involuntary functions such as blood pressure regulation. The Medulla helps to transfer neural messages from the brain to the spinal cord.

Dream work is a very insightful method of looking into the unconscious. Our dreams compensate for what we are not expressing in our conscious state. The Pons part of the brain plays a key role in dreaming and sleeping. It connects the upper and lower part of the brain.

When we are in sensory overload, it is our Thalamus screaming at us. The Thalamus analyzes different sensory input like: sound, touch, and taste.