“Often, when something traumatic happens, it seems to get locked in the brain with the original picture, sounds, thoughts, feelings, and so on. Since the experience is locked there, it continues to be triggered whenever a reminder comes up. It can be the basis for a lot of discomfort and sometimes a lot of negative emotions, such as fear and helplessness that we can’t seem to control. These are really the emotions connected with the old experience that are being triggered.
The eye movements we use in EMDR seem to unlock the system and allow your brain to process the experience. That may be what is happening in REM sleep, or rapid eye movement sleep when our most intense dreaming takes place: The eye movements appear to be involved during the processing of unconscious material.
The important thing to remember is that it is your own brain that will be doing the healing and that you are the one in control”.
Francine Shapiro, EMDR Founder
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