We live in a world where social media snippets dominate our attention and infinite distractions are connected to our fingertips. This makes it very challenging to find a way to process and focus on important memories that continue to affect our daily lives. One therapeutic technique gaining recognition for its effectiveness is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Developed in the late 1980s by psychologist Francine Shapiro, EMDR has evolved into a powerful tool not only for treating trauma but also for enhancing our ability to focus and process memories amidst the chaos of modern life.
(If you’re worried that your therapist may try to hold your shoulder like this guy, please know that this is not part of EMDR protocol.)
What is EMDR?
EMDR is a structured therapy approach that helps individuals process traumatic memories and other distressing experiences by using bilateral stimulation, which can be eye movements, taps, or sounds. The goal is to facilitate the brain's natural ability to heal from psychological wounds by allowing memories to be properly processed and integrated.
How EMDR Helps Us Focus and Process Memories
1. Accessing Memory Networks: One of the key principles of EMDR is that memories are stored in interconnected networks within the brain. When a distressing event occurs, it can become "stuck" in these networks, causing emotional and cognitive disturbances. EMDR helps access these networks and facilitates the processing of memories that are contributing to current issues.
2. Bilateral Stimulation: During an EMDR session, the therapist guides the client in bilateral stimulation, such as side-to-side eye movements or alternating taps. This technique is thought to mimic the natural processing that occurs during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, where the brain consolidates memories and makes sense of daily experiences.
3. Creating Adaptive Responses: Through repeated sets of bilateral stimulation, the distressing memory becomes less vivid and emotionally charged. This allows the individual to develop more adaptive beliefs and responses related to the memory, reducing its disruptive impact on daily life. (For examples of adaptive beliefs or core beliefs, refer to the text by highly revered Pixar psychologists, Inside Out 2, and the core belief strands in Riley’s brain. For Riley, those red core beliefs went something like: [I am going to be alone if I don’t make the hockey team. I’m a terrible person. I’m only valuable if I…] Her blue, or adaptive, core beliefs are what I refer to as “more true” beliefs or “more helpful” beliefs. [I’m not alone. I can make mistakes. I am inherently valuable.]) EMDR helps us move from red to blue.
4. Enhancing Cognitive Functioning: By reducing the emotional intensity of distressing memories, EMDR can improve cognitive functioning related to those memories. This means individuals can think more clearly about past events without feeling overwhelmed or triggered.
EMDR: An Antidote for "TikTok Brain"
Last year, I was on a top college campus on a beautiful spring day. As I walked around the serene wooded lakes on campus, I was amazed to find very few college students on the trails. Even more rare was to see a student walking with a friend.
While I haven’t taken any surveys recently, I’ve spoken with professors and students who confirm this claim that college kids are gathering less in study groups and are spending more time individually, in their room, on their phone. Post- Covid and post- digital revolution may mean that taking walks (bilateral stimulation) with our friends to process the event that happened the night before is an occurrence that happens with less frequency.
While the absence of in-person community and processing isn’t ideal, it is our reality. EMDR offers a counterbalance by:
- Promoting Deep Processing: Unlike the superficial engagement typical of scrolling through social media, EMDR encourages deep reflection and processing of significant life events.
- Encouraging Mindfulness: During EMDR sessions, clients are guided to stay present (for a significant amount of time!) with their internal experiences, fostering mindfulness and self-awareness—qualities often diminished by constant digital distraction. This may be the longest you’ve sat in silence… ever! Our job is to work to make it a safe place for you.
- Restoring Emotional Resilience: TikTok, like TV, substances, workaholism, and self-harm behaviors, numbs us to our deeper feelings and emotions and offers temporary relief from overwhelm. By addressing unresolved memories and trauma, EMDR helps individuals build emotional resilience. This resilience enables you to navigate stressors more effectively and be more present in the real, physical world with yourself and others.
Lastly, EMDR provides a space with a professional who is trained to sit calmly and quietly with difficult emotions or truly traumatic memories. We don’t offer easy answers, trite responses, or spiritual bypassing. We don’t minimize the impact or try to look for a silver lining. We let your mind do the healing on its own when it’s ready, and we act as a facilitator of the process.
To summarize, EMDR serves as a therapeutic antidote for "TikTok Brain" by helping individuals focus and process memories in a profound and meaningful way. By engaging in this structured therapeutic process, clients can not only heal from past traumas but also regain clarity of mind and emotional balance in the fast-paced cloud we live in.
If you find yourself struggling to focus amidst the chaos of everyday life, maybe it’s time to pause. Slow down your body. Try EMDR.
Those awkward dance moves will still be there when you get back… and maybe you won’t need them anymore.
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