When we experience something traumatic, our brain’s emotional system can become overwhelmed. In such moments, the part of the brain that regulates our emotions becomes inaccessible. The emotional brain acts like airport security—constantly scanning incoming information for signs of danger.
Trauma or adverse experiences can trigger a “full lockdown” in this system. This means that airport security begins flagging anything that even slightly resembles a threat. This heightened state can show up as:
The emotion-regulating part of the brain is like a security officer behind the scanner. Even when an alarm sounds, this officer decides whether there is real danger or not. When trauma interferes with this process, it becomes harder to make rational emotional assessments.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) leverages the idea that memory is not fixed—it’s a process. That means memory can be added to, subtracted from, and reshaped with training and guidance.
Imagine your memory as a Lego tower built with bricks of various sizes and colours. If someone knocks it down and removes some bricks, rebuilding it will result in holes. Your brain will try to fill these gaps with what seems to fit—even if it’s not quite right. In the case of trauma, these gaps may be filled with:
EMDR allows clinicians and clients to work together to “fill in” those gaps more intentionally. Instead of automatically inserting fear-based pieces like “I am in danger,” you might replace them with more adaptive beliefs like “I am safe now.”
By selecting different “bricks” to rebuild your emotional tower, EMDR makes distressing memories more manageable. Changing how a memory is stored can lead to lasting shifts in emotional response and help clients move forward with greater resilience and calm.
