Quote by Francine Shapiro
In EMDR therapy, we believe that unprocessed traumatic experience gets stuck in the brain. When they get stuck, then the memory network becomes obstructed.
And since not everyone recognizes or is initially comfortable disclosing their traumatic experiences, we sometimes have to look for clues.
Certainly, in my work I have noticed that people with complex, attachment trauma are often only able to report negative memories and experiences from their past, and often from their present.
And most, if not all, people have had some positive memories in their lives. Even if it was eating an ice cream cone on a hot summer’s day once, there is usually something there. The problem is that the memory networks are so gummed up from these attachment traumas, that the person cannot access the positive memories and may believe they simply don’t have them.
Many times, when doing EMDR trauma memory reprocessing and in between sessions, client will spontaneously report remembering a positive memory. This is because in EMDR therapy, we are helping to increase the neural connections in the brain beyond those strong negative networks.
EMDR therapy cannot promise to help you gain access to memories, but done right, it can help you increase your connection to healthier, more adaptive information.