Having a computer freeze mid-task is frustrating. It all seems to be going smoothly, and then suddenly things are stuck. 

Our first instinct can be to panic that the computer is broken and we might have to throw it away and get a new one. But what about a reboot? Often, a reset is all that’s needed to get things running smoothly again. 

Trauma can make you feel frozen. You may feel stuck, aware that there’s something you’re trying to process, but can’t. 

EMDR therapy can help you work through what you need to process, and help you feel ‘unstuck’.

Why Do You Feel Stuck?

Our brains respond to trauma much like a computer that is overloaded. 

When we go through a traumatic event, our brains and nervous systems can become flooded with more than they're able to process in the moment. 

Our brains are designed to file experiences away as memories we can look back on. But when something is too overwhelming, too sudden, or too threatening, that process can get interrupted, and the memory stays stuck in a kind of loop.

This is why the memory of a traumatic event can leave you feeling trapped by the past.

After a traumatic event, it becomes harder for our brains to tell the difference between past events and current circumstances.  

 

How EMDR Can Be the Reboot Your Brain Needs 

EMDR helps memories, frozen in our nervous system, to be processed and become unblocked. 

EMDR works by activating your brain's natural ability to process information. During each session, you'll focus on aspects of a difficult memory while experiencing bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements. This helps the two sides of the brain communicate in a way that supports reprocessing, allowing the memory to move through the system rather than staying stuck in the same loop.

Session by session, the memory typically starts to lose its charge. What was once overwhelming becomes something you can recall without your body reacting as though it's happening all over again. 

The freeze lifts, and the memory finally gets filed away where it belongs.

 

You Aren’t Broken If You Need A Reboot

Feeling frozen or stuck after trauma isn't a sign that something is wrong with you. It's simply what happens when a nervous system has been overwhelmed and hasn't yet had the chance to process what it went through.

Often, all that's needed is the right support to help you safely process and reset.

If you'd like to explore whether EMDR could help you feel unstuck, whether in person in North Berwick or through online PTSD treatment, please reach out and contact me. Sometimes, all it takes is one reboot to get things moving again.