EMDR is a very interesting technique. It doesn't have to be eye movement. you can use ear phones that beep in the right ear, the left ear, the right ear, etc. Or you can hold a little doodad in each hand that will gently vibrate (for a few seconds in one hand, then a few seconds vibrating on the other side, and then back to the first hand, etc.). The idea is to stimulate alternating sides of the body.
I was treated for PTSD with this technique. Even just 30 minutes of it was absolutely exhausting. My therapist explained that EMDR works by getting the brain to jump from right brain to left brain and back repeatedly (because you are processing input from left and right sides of the body). This left-right dominance swapping helps get both sides of the brain listening to each other, allowing emotion and reason to coexist better. So you can process emotional experiences with reason, or apply some emotion to something your brain is entirely too locked into reason over.
EMDR does not erase memories, it helps you cope with memories and put them in proper perspective.
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No idea why it works, though!
EMDR is a very interesting technique. It doesn't have to be eye movement. you can use ear phones that beep in the right ear, the left ear, the right ear, etc. Or you can hold a little doodad in each hand that will gently vibrate (for a few seconds in one hand, then a few seconds vibrating on the other side, and then back to the first hand, etc.). The idea is to stimulate alternating sides of the body.
I was treated for PTSD with this technique. Even just 30 minutes of it was absolutely exhausting. My therapist explained that EMDR works by getting the brain to jump from right brain to left brain and back repeatedly (because you are processing input from left and right sides of the body). This left-right dominance swapping helps get both sides of the brain listening to each other, allowing emotion and reason to coexist better. So you can process emotional experiences with reason, or apply some emotion to something your brain is entirely too locked into reason over.
EMDR does not erase memories, it helps you cope with memories and put them in proper perspective.