EMDR, Trauma & the Brain

Retrieved on 11/20/2019 and adapted from http://headspace-perspective.com/2016/09/22/emdr-therapy-survived/

Trauma causes brain damage.

Unresolved adverse life experiences and prolonged toxic stress harm the amygdala (the part of your brain that deals with emergencies) causing it to become very sensitive (switched on by the slightest pressure or “hair-triggered”).

The connection with the hippocampus (that deals with storage of life events) is also affected, causing these unresolved memories to be stored as mixed-up fragments (negative thoughts, emotions, body sensations, etc.).

That is why when a sufferer is presented with a trigger (something happening today that your brain links to the unresolved memories), trauma reactions can happen (emotional overwhelm, anxiety, PTSD symptoms, depression, addiction, etc.).

EMDR Therapy seeks to reprocess and shift the storage of unresolved traumatic memories (allow your mind to sort through them, discard what is not helpful, and keep what is useful), so beneficial brain functioning can be restored (appropriate fight/flight reactions and healthy decision making).

EMDR Therapy is kind of like “updating” the programming of a computer.