25/02/2023
I’m so pleased to share that my article on EMDR and Somatic Psychology for Chronic Pain and Illness Has been published in the Go with That Magazine. Today I received my author copies in the mail. Here is a little bit of what is covered…
“Trauma interferes with the integration between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Developmental trauma interferes with the development of the corpus callosum, impairing the integration between the left and right hemispheres of the brain (Teicher & Samson, 2016). The right hemisphere is specialized for processing emotions and identifying threats, and the left hemisphere houses Broca’s area, which is involved with language and speech (Van der Kolk, 2015). When the two sides of the brain are not functioning as a cohesive unit, it becomes increasingly difficult for the individual to create a coherent narrative about their life experiences leading to a disorganized sense of self. Over time lack of hemispheric integration encapsulates the traumatic sensory information within the right brain. When functioning in isolation, the left hemisphere is more likely to isolate parts from the whole in a way that can create unnecessary analytical distance from our emotions, leading us to feel rigid and cut-off from ourselves or others…
Brain integration allows us to contextualize the individual events of our lives. The left brain uses language as a primary tool of understanding the world; however, when integrated with the right hemisphere we are better able to reflect upon our emotions and sensations to develop more realistic predictions for our future. Communication between the left and right hemispheres is necessary for creativity and allows us to apply new information in a meaningful way within our lives (McGilchrist, 2009). Because many of us have grown up in cultures that emphasize left hemisphere and upper-brain processing, we often need right-hemisphere and sensory-based interventions to facilitate balance…
EMDR is the invitation for the client to cultivate attentional flexibility. During reprocessing of traumatic memories, clients are invited to focus on specific images, thoughts, emotions, and sensations which activate left hemisphere processing. However, they are then invited to “trust the process” by attending to their experience with curiosity which broadens the attentional field to a more spacious perspective that invites right hemisphere processing. Throughout therapy, the client is invited to notice their present moment experience and report any new discoveries. The novelty is then integrated back into the left brain as the client is invited to discuss how this new information is relevant to the current circumstances and future goals.”
