“Our experiments clearly show that negative autobiographical memories are very rich in sensory detail, and by pairing them with eye movements, they lose this sensory richness,” Lee says. “People describe that the memories become less vivid and more distant, that they seem further in the past and harder to focus on. What follows after this distancing is a reduction in the associated emotional levels.” In other words, the traumatic memory stays, but its power has been diminished.

This article was originally published with the title Can Eye Movements Treat Trauma?.

9 Comments

1. 1. Witold 08:57 AM 1/18/13

   During sleep we also experience rapid eye movements while mentally revisiting our experiences in our dreams. That may work better than any artificial therapy, both for the micro-traumas of the day and the serious ones.

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2. 2. MOreon12 10:46 AM 1/19/13

   Thank you for writing this. EMDR continues to help millions around the world and yet one reads comments and articles that dismiss it without ever looking at the abundant and convincing research. It's EASY to have an automatic reaction to say that something seems too good to be true. What's hard is realizing that EMDR can help, while recognizing that it will be years, decades, or more before the actual mechanism in the brain is understood to a significant extent. Just because we don't know why it works doesn't mean it doesn't work.
   
   For anyone interested in more about EMDR, there are tons of great books on it and a new documentary film as well, online at emdrmovie.com.
   
   Thank you again, SA, for writing this.

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3. 3. Witold 02:53 PM 1/19/13

   Well, perhaps the analogy with sleep patterns is precisely a key to understanding why EMDR has some effectiveness? Sleep is probably the most powerful therapy. In addition, shouldn't we be careful about forcing traumatic experiences into the background, sometimes only to resurface, instead of reasoning them out?

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4. 4. Mimosa Pudica 07:26 PM 1/20/13

   Still scientist are not sure how and why the TickleMe Plant moves and closes its leaves when you Tickle It.
   See video
   http://www.ticklemeplant.com

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5. 5. jw231 04:20 PM 1/23/13

   I have received EMDR therapy, and it has been amazingly effective. It brought out deeply buried emotions and memories and allowed them to be healed. These are issues that would probably never have been uncovered through other talk-based therapies. I have been in therapy for many years, and this method has been the most effective for me. I recommend it highly.

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6. 6. shrinkydink 07:26 AM 1/24/13

   witold, you raise some interesting questions.
   Research shows that people who have suffered intense trauma often have disturbed sleep patterns and don't achieve rapid eye movement (REM) during sleep cycles, therefore, they never have the opportunity to process heightened emotions from of the day. They may have nightmares and/or wake with night sweats, or have irregular sleep/wake patterns because they are waking in the night and can't go back to sleep or trouble getting to sleep. It all adds up to not achieving REM.
   Treating trauma with EMDR is not sublimating or "forcing traumatic experiences into the background". It would be helpful if you read about the adaptive information processing model (AIP). You can find an excellent scholarly paper on EMDR and AIP by Francine Shapiro and Roger M. Solomon (2008) at: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/springer/emdr/2008/00000002/00000004/art00009 and click on the PDF box to open the paper.

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7. 7. DrPatti 02:28 PM 1/24/13

   In addition to the great benefits of EMDR therapy, grounding exercises are terrifically helpful. You can use some of the techniques in Dr. Shapiro's new book "Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Self-Help Techniques from EMDR." Dr. Shapiro is the founder/creator of EMDR but all the proceeds from the book go to two charities: the EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Program and the EMDR Research Foundation). Anyway, the book is terrific. It's an easy read, helps you understand what's "pushing" your feelings and behavior, helps you connect the dots from past experiences to current life. Also gives lots of really helpful strategies that are used during EMDR therapy to calm disturbing thoughts and feelings.

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8. 8. bucketofsquid 02:23 PM 2/1/13

   I frequently have unpleasant memories pop out at inconvenient times and have been working to change my mood and thoughts when it happens. Now I'm going to throw in eye wiggling into the mix to see what happens. Probably not while I'm driving though.

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9. 9. shrinkydink in reply to bucketofsquid 11:52 PM 2/3/13

   Wow, bucketsofsquid, eye movements could certainly have an helpful effect on those intrusive unpleasant memories but I'm REALLY glad you're not trying it when you're driving. I have to agree with Dr. Patti, Getting Past Your Past is a great read. When situations are complex, it may take more than reading a book. If those memories don't stop, consider seeing a psychotherapist who uses EMDR.

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