EMDR & Brainspotting
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing), is an evidence based trauma protocol that helps with the processing of traumatic memories that have created maladaptive memory networks in the brain which lead to maladaptive behavior, in the form of recurrent triggers or highly activated states. By identifying and working through the events (current or past) that create distress in one’s life; and activating the brain’s inherent ability to process and integrate our experience, we are able to access more adaptive responses that translate into less distress around that memory or event. EMDR therapy does not erase our memories but helps us remember things without the emotional activation that is previously there due to the activation of the maladaptive memory network. It is worth noting that trauma is the reaction that gets stuck in our brains and nervous systems when we perceive something threatening to our psychological, psychical, emotional and spiritual integrity. EMDR has proven to be effective with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, addictions and much more.
The premise of Brainspotting on the other hand, is that where you look affects the way you feel, because our eyes and our brains are intricately interconnected. The brain being the powerful processing center that it is, digests everything that we feel and experience, and help us process cues and orient in our environment. Brainspotting uses the visual field and eye gazing, to prompt the brain to find and process internal memories and information that is stored deep inside causing maladaptive behaviors, or triggering emotions.
