1 The Adaptive Information Processing model
When a person experiences a tragic event, such as an accident, assault, violent bereavement or disaster, the extreme emotional load overwhelms the brain’s processing capacity. The memory remains frozen in emotional memory with its original images, sounds, smells and distress, causing flashbacks, nightmares and hypervigilance associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. EMDR restarts the natural neurobiological reprocessing mechanism.
2 A rigorous eight-phase intervention protocol
Therapy never begins directly with exposure. The initial phases build the patient’s safety through clinical history, therapeutic alliance, establishment of a mental “safe place” and grounding techniques. Once the person is emotionally stabilised, the practitioner activates the target memory while applying alternating bilateral stimulation: horizontal eye movements guided by fingers, tactile tapping or auditory tones.
3 Desensitisation and deep cognitive restructuring
Alternating stimulation promotes reconnection between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. Across successive sets, bodily distress falls to zero on the SUD scale. The negative belief of helplessness, such as “I am in danger” or “it is my fault”, is then replaced by a realistic positive belief: “it is over; I am safe today”.
4 Worldwide medical recognition and psychological liberation
Recommended by WHO and INSERM, EMDR allows the memory to regain its proper place in the past. Patients can recall the event without experiencing the bodily terror of trauma, recovering a peaceful life open to the future.
5 Post-treatment assessment and disappearance of bodily symptoms
At the end of the EMDR protocol, the practitioner conducts a “body scan” to check that no residual tension persists when recalling the memory. Patients report profound inner relief: nightmares and hypervigilance give way to a sense of regained freedom.