Shapiro technique: a unique method for solving psychological problems. What is the benefit of the EMDT technique for the client (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing)

The article is devoted to the use of EMDR technique in the treatment of panic disorders. As an example of using this techniqueki provides a detailed description of one of the recent cases frompractice of the author, which noted the cessation of panicattacks and a significant decrease in anxiety in the patient aftertwo psychotherapy sessions. As is known, when using EMDRthere is an awareness of the connection between situations of experiencing loss,separation, anger or grief and previous traumatic eventsbeings. Application of the method for the treatment of panic disordersdiscussed here in the general context of the etiology of panic statestions, while taking into account contradictory and incomparable ideasDavanloo and Clark. It is noted that the EMDR technique is characterized by suchunique qualities that allow it to be used just rightpersonal cases where the goals of therapy may vary depending on the conditionspatient's interoceptive sensations and castastrophic ideasent to states of suppressed anger and grief.

Source: Journal of a Practicing Psychologist. 1997 No. 03

Introduction

EMDR was developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s after she discovered that rapid side-to-side eye movements during the short time we focus on a traumatic event result in very significant reductions in painful affect and to changes in our negative beliefs about traumatic events (1989a, 1989b, 1994).

Initially, the technique was intended to treat post-traumatic syndrome. There are quite a few reports of cases of its successful use. In addition, several studies have shown that patients' positive, more adaptive self-images emerge spontaneously, accompanied by overall improvements in typical PTSD syndromes, including intrusive memories, nightmares, dysphoria, and anxiety (EMDR Institute, 1995).

Over time, this technique was adapted to treat disorders such as phobias, addictions, obsessions, personality disorders and pathological forms of grief. However, to date only Goldstein and Fecke (1994) have published their findings on the use of EMDR in panic disorders and agoraphobia. They described seven instances of EMDR being used by an experienced psychotherapist over five 90-minute sessions.

All patients were diagnosed with panic disorder, and most of them also had agoraphobia and general anxiety. These authors favor a cognitive-behavioral explanation for the use of EMDR in cases of panic disorder, suggesting that the essence of panic disorder syndrome lies in the patient's previously experienced fear of a panic experience that arose as a result of emotional trauma.

The EMDR technique, designed to relieve emotional trauma, can also help with panic disorders, which are based on traumatic experiences that cause panic. To overall assess the extent of improvement before and after EMDR sessions to date, seven measures of anxiety related to panic and agoraphobia (pathological fear of open spaces) were taken.

Many patients have benefited greatly from the use of EMDR. The number of panic attacks and the degree of anxiety decreased markedly, as well as the main symptoms of stress. In discussing the treatment process, Goldstein and Fecke noted that in some patients whose attention was focused on the traumatic aspects of panic attacks through the use of EMDR and the desensitization process, the degree of general relaxation increased after psychotherapy sessions, while in other patients this method produced a flood of associations, leading to memories, often repeated from childhood, associated with mistrust, helplessness and a feeling of loneliness. The emergence of traumatic childhood memories was not unexpected.

As Francine Shapiro continued to use this method, it became clear to her (1991) that other factors were involved in the therapy process besides desensitization itself. Although sometimes focusing on the trauma or distressing state during eye movements brought immediate relief without triggering verbal associations, in other cases the original traumatic images opened the way to earlier (usually childhood) disturbing memories that were in fact the basis current problems. When these underlying traumas were processed through eye movements, and the associated painful feelings and maladaptive beliefs were changed, the distress associated with the original underlying trauma (or phobia) was resolved.

Shapiro's descriptions of these cases are reminiscent of the short-term treatment methods used by Freud and Breuer (1895/1955) and may be of interest to anyone practicing psychodynamically oriented psychotherapy or analytical hypnotherapy. As is known, F. Shapiro (1994) described the EMDR process in terms of cognitive rather than psychodynamic direction, while developing her model of accelerated information processing, but this description represents, in fact, a complete departure from behaviorist principles and is rather more psychodynamic in form, with some clear indications of the influence of a humanistic approach and with the addition of assumptions about the neural mechanisms underlying the action of EMDR.

In other words, F. Shapiro suggests that information imprinted during experiences is organized at the neurological level into a kind of “network” - quite complex structures that store cognitive, sensory and affective information in an encoded form, and organizing it differently than expected in the model of perceptual-motor information processing proposed by Leventhal, or in the concept of “emotional schemas” (Greenberg & Safra, 1987, Ch.5). It is assumed that in the course of life, new information and experience are naturally associated with existing neural networks. When trauma occurs, it is comprehensively processed by innate, self-governing systems that have a neurological basis until it is connected to adaptive information (previously acquired or new) and subsequently integrated. This natural healing process is similar to what psychodynamic concepts call the “completion tendency” and “compulsion,” and is also similar to the Gestalt therapy ideas of “structural integrity.” However, information with an excessive negative emotional charge during trauma can overwhelm the body's existing information processing system and become isolated in a special state in which there is no interaction with other networks and with newly emerging experience. Although traumatic information in such a state is isolated, it nevertheless continues to influence behavior and emotional state as a special irritant that causes activation of neural networks and re-experience of negative states, creating a tendency in behavior to perform actions under the influence of these negative emotional states.

The repetitive, manually induced eye movements of EMDR stimulate this natural processing system until aspects of the painful and unassimilated material are manifested and until the barriers keeping this material in isolation are partially or completely overcome (one might assume that this is associated with synaptic potentials that reflect the intensity of affect), which results in a movement towards integration with the acquisition of adaptive forms of behavior.

The study of EMDR using statistical analysis of electroencephalography data suggests that psychopathological conditions can be divided into types according to the degree of suppression and asynchronization of the functioning of the cerebral hemispheres, and that stimulation of both hemispheres with eye movements or other stimulus can cause the restoration of synchronization of the hemispheres and a return to the natural functioning of the cerebral cortex brain, depressed and disturbed by the trauma that occurred (Nicosia, 1994).

Continued stimulation during EMDR results in information being integrated at an accelerated pace.

Clinical case:

Patient: Sarah, about 20 years old, was referred for psychotherapy with a diagnosis of panic disorder. Sarah refused treatment with anti-anxiety medications because their use caused her to feel generally lethargic. She reported that several months earlier she had experienced an unexpected “seizure” at a hair salon during which she experienced dizziness, trembling, difficulty breathing, abdominal pain and an overwhelming sense of fear that she might fall. fainted.

Most of the time after the incident, she was left with a feeling of intense tension, and there was increased attention to the slightest signs of dizziness. Abdominal pain recurred frequently, problems with sleep appeared, and the patient began to feel so uncomfortable alone that she always had to persuade someone be with her.

In addition, she began to avoid many sports that she had previously enjoyed. Despite her best efforts to maintain composure, she was unable to control numerous partial panic attacks, which were characterized by dizziness, increased heart rate, body tremors and fear that she might lose her balance and fall. Sarah was thoroughly examined, but no significant abnormalities were found.

The author concluded that the patient's emotional and behavioral symptoms met the DSM-IV criteria for a diagnosis of panic disorder. Eventually, the patient became so preoccupied with thoughts of possible new attacks that she even changed her usually independent behavior, wanting someone to be with her at all times.

At the same time, her agoraphobic tendencies would most accurately be considered subclinical, since although the patient experienced anxiety when left alone, at the same time she did not attach too much importance to such situations and did not try to avoid them at all costs.

A year ago, Sarah suffered a similar attack while traveling abroad. She thought that maybe one of her brothers or sisters also experienced similar anxiety, but she was not aware of any cases of such psychopathology in her family. Sarah's panic attack was associated with her father's marriage to another woman, the start of a new and important job for her, and preparation for final exams. She talked about her idyllic childhood, about her parents who were quite strict, but at the same time did not show overprotectiveness. Sarah was the youngest of four children, outgoing, a good student and a healthy child. Closer to her was her mother, who became seriously ill when Sarah was still very young.

The family led a normal life, despite the mother’s illness, but after she died soon after, the children grieved greatly over what had happened, while the father withdrew into himself. Sarah missed her mother and worried that her father's new marriage could destroy the family home. She could not explain her panic attack as anything other than a reaction to this stress.

The patient mentioned a book on panic attacks that she had read in the hope that it would help her cope with her attacks. We asked her to come as needed, but she wanted to handle her own

panic attacks. Nothing was heard from Sarah for almost a month. She then called and said that her anxiety had not improved and that she had had several partial attacks and had been experiencing severe anxiety for the past few days.

We discussed with the patient the possibility of undergoing treatment with EMDR. The main reason we decided to use EMDR stemmed from observations that EMDR quickly unearths blocked memories and conflict situations associated with distressing experiences. It turned out that Sarah was traumatized not so much by panic conditions as by her life experience itself, which was the root cause of depression due to the loss of her family and the inevitable need to lead an independent life, which caused insoluble problems related to a frustrated sense of attachment.

Anxiety associated with the breakdown of emotional relationships is considered by many psychodynamic theorists to be a major factor in the development of panic attacks (Bowlby, 1973; Nemiah, 1988; Shear et al., 1993). For example, Davanloo in his work focused on the dynamics of panic attacks and argues that these attacks are associated with some basic central conflict, accompanied by additional conflict situations, and that actual (or subjectively experienced) rejection or trauma mobilizes reactive aggression and sadism, which then becomes significantly depressed, and this in turn is accompanied by significant feelings of guilt (Dawanloo, 1990; Kahn, 1990).

Although psychotherapists may hold various hypotheses to explain a patient's symptoms, in reality these hypotheses have little influence on the course of EMDR treatment itself. Repressed material emerges spontaneously in patients. The patient is asked to describe in detail the painful experience or situation in which the main symptom arises, the treatment of which psychotherapy is aimed at. The image associated with the most unpleasant moment is identified with the currently existing negative self-image (for example, “I am guilty” or “I am helpless”).

Body sensations associated with negative affect are localized, and the degree of distress is measured using the Subjective Units of Worry (SUB) scale. At the same time, more acceptable ideas about oneself arise.

As soon as the patient's attention was fixed on certain aspects of the maladaptive material, a series of eye movements (SEMs) began to be produced, lasting on average 20 seconds. At the end of each episode, the patient was asked a question about how she was feeling at the moment. Further series of eye movements were carried out as the patient processed information and accessed memory or spontaneously unfolding perceptual images.

The psychotherapist did not need to do almost anything except generally maintain the atmosphere of the process until the patient fixated on the same feeling or memory. At this point, the therapist can exert some influence on the client, bringing information that can help the client in his movement towards integration (Shapiro, 1994). In this case, the main negative episode was a memory of a moment in the office when she felt a little dizzy, followed by a wave of fear. She felt like she was helpless, alone, and in danger of falling. At this point we started eye movements. The first few SDHs caused increasing discomfort in the chest area.

When we tried to focus the patient's attention on these sensations, she began to cry and talk about missing her mother. Further SDH caused a fit of sobbing and the patient realized that she was not a good enough daughter, and this is what led to the death of her mother. The following SDH eye movements caused an attack of anger directed at the mother, who from early childhood treated Sarah as if she were already an adult and did not need love, without emphasizing in any way that she needed Sarah. When remembering this, Sarah acutely experienced her “badness”; she continued to cry and worry. Then Sarah, still experiencing her guilt, discovered the thought that she was glad that her mother was dead.

Further processing of the information led to memories of the mother's harsh and repulsive character. Then the guilt gradually subsided, and Sarah began to realize that she herself had never really been bad. Her needs were completely normal for a child. Sarah realized that her mother had always suppressed these needs of hers, deliberately doing everything

so that Sarah would feel guilty. After further series of eye movements, Sarah gradually calmed down and felt like a completely grown-up person.

Checking the level of fear that occurs when feeling dizzy showed a decrease in the level of subjective anxiety on a 10-point scale from 9 to 1.

The next session was held two weeks later. After her first EMDR session, Sarah felt a great deal of relief, except for some strange sensations that arose during her work. Further treatment with EMDR was aimed at eliminating these sensations.

It turned out that Sarah hated her job, doing it only to please her father. She was angry with her father, first for his aloofness, and then because, by remarrying, he alienated her from himself. Sarah realized that her painful symptoms were related to a need for attention, just as as a child the only reliable way to earn attention was through illness. Then she realized that she was taking on the martyrdom role of her mother, suffering “quietly” and expressing her many indirect veiled accusations in the form of suffering. As the process of processing continued, the patient realized that she needed to talk to her father, allowing herself to directly express her anger related to her situation at home and her plans for the future. At the same time, she already felt much less helpless.

Results: Over the next six months, Sarah no longer had panic attacks. Her anxiety had almost completely disappeared, except for those times when she experienced a wave of incomprehensible sensations and was afraid of being completely overwhelmed by this wave. Further processing of these experiences through EMDR resulted in feelings of sadness from the realization that she was trapped at home by increasing conflict with her stepmother. She realized that it was time to leave home.

The first two sessions of EMDR can be considered to have provided significant symptom relief. In essence, the patient significantly exaggerated the significance of the underlying main conflict, which underlay the emergence of her panic disorder. Improvements were noted in her characteristic type of anxiety, which manifests itself in bodily sensations and is aimed at expressing emotional needs, as well as at unconsciously suppressing feelings in herself that are fraught with interpersonal conflicts.

It cannot, of course, be said that the patient’s character or her defense mechanisms were completely rebuilt, but nevertheless the previous complaints were eliminated, and the additional benefit of psychotherapy was that the patient was able to more openly consider her unresolved problems and emotionally significant events.

Discussion: Over the past decade, understanding of the essence of panic disorder syndrome (PDS) has expanded significantly.

The early views of Klein (1981) and Sheehan, Ballenger & Jacobson (1980), that panic attacks were a purely endogenous phenomenon with neuropsychological causes, proved very valuable in the development of effective pharmacological treatments for panic syndrome. In addition, these studies paved the way for the creation of numerous models, in particular of diathesis, that combined both genetic and psychological factors.

For example, Clark (1986), Beck (1988) and Barlow (1988), based on a cognitive and behavioral approach, proposed their theoretical explanations, which were based on the ideas of reducing anxiety thresholds, constitutional neuroticism, interoceptive conditioning, and the formation of catastrophic premonitions related to somatic

sensations.

All of these treatments were quite effective, often leading to significant improvement after 7 to 15 therapy sessions, but there was quite a significant residual anxiety and a significant number of patients with little or no change (Barlow, 1994; Clark, 1994 ; Klosko et al., Telch et al., 1993). In these studies, ideas related to addiction-based conflict, immature forms of defense, low self-confidence, and the experience of anger can be found in the pathological beliefs of many patients with panic disorders (Andrews et al., 1990; Shear et al., 1993; Tryer et al., 1983), which raises the question of the need for special approaches in the treatment of such cases and the responsibility of the therapist in this case. Many psychodynamically oriented theorists have attempted to integrate ideas related to biological vulnerability, personal development, and unconscious conflicts generated by addiction, anger, and guilt into a unified model of SPD.

Thus, Shear et al. (1993) believe that innate neuropsychological irritability predisposes some children to experience a feeling of abandonment by parents or, for example, a feeling of suffocation (both real and imaginary), and forms in them external relationships of the type: threatening object - weak , dependent "I".

Fantasies about one's own abandonment or deception are easily activated in weak individuals, provoking high anxiety. Situations that threaten the individual's safety, either actually or symbolically, or that create a sense of psychological impasse will cause anxiety, as does any unconscious negative affect that causes bodily sensations. These authors argued that psychodynamic methods can play an important complementary role when using psychopharmacological and cognitive methods in the treatment of panic syndrome. Thus, the method of “Brief Intensive Dynamic Psychotherapy” proposed by Davanloo is a further development of the idea that panic syndrome can be cured quite quickly without the use of medications and cognitive methods (Davanloo, 1989a, 1989b, 1989c; Kahn, 1990). The Davanloo Method systematically restructures the patient's defense mechanisms, which is aimed at "unblocking unconscious material", revealing the repressed neurotic essence of guilt and sadistic reactions generated by anger associated with real or imaginary characters from childhood memories. Bringing these feelings or impulses into consciousness results in a significant reduction in panic symptoms over one or more sessions. However, mastering the Davanloo method requires several years of training under the guidance of an experienced specialist, as there is a real risk of harm to the patient if this method is used incorrectly. This method also assumes the existence of a unified model for explaining the emergence of panic syndrome that avoids appealing to simple cognitive or conditioned forms of fear as an adequate explanation of PSD. In addition, this approach assumes the presence of special painful personality types that contribute to the emergence of panic syndrome in them, which indeed finds some confirmation (see above), but, at the same time, contradicts the data of other studies, suggesting that a certain number of patients during periods between panic attacks are quite independent, emotionally stable and relatively fearless people (Hafner, 1982).

The widespread prevalence of panic conditions, as well as numerous accompanying disorders, including those associated with hereditary factors (Barlow, 1988); the undeniable effectiveness (as well as the limited capabilities) of such treatment methods as antidepressants, potent benzodiazepine drugs, breathing techniques, cognitive-behavioral methods of psychotherapy, as well as the method proposed by Davanloo, create a plausible picture of the polyetiological nature of SPD.

Different patients may exhibit different combinations of neuropsychological, psychodynamic, and acquired factors. In this context, EMDR appears to be a unique clinical treatment for panic syndrome. As Goldstein found, some patients experience desensitization and change in their traumatic beliefs without affecting their underlying psychodynamic problems, while other patients manifest memories of early traumas or other disorders. In my clinical experience, I have also encountered patients with panic syndrome who did not experience deep memory retrieval, but who nevertheless, after treatment, achieved complete relaxation associated with a change in their catastrophic beliefs.

The described case is characterized by the rapid manifestation of clearly unconscious conflicts associated with increased dependence, anger, grief and guilt, as well as with inadequate character traits. There may be something in the process itself that determines whether patients will immediately experience effective desensitization or whether they will need to access hidden memories of events that preceded the trauma. Each of these types of patients can be treated with the appropriate psychotherapeutic approach required to achieve recovery.

The EMDR technique requires an objective and controlled assessment of the results of psychotherapy, as well as research into the

process, in particular in its application to the treatment of SPD. There is evidence to suggest that this technique may be a genuine version of "client-centeredness," leading to rapid resolution of core symptoms through desensitization and change in the patient's belief system, while stimulating those that pave the way for more significant personal transformation.

Literature

American Psychiatric Press. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th edition). Washington, DC: Author.

Andrews, G., Stewart, G., Morris-Yates, A., Holt, P. & Henderson,

G. (1990). Evidence for a general neurotic syndrome. Br. J. Psychiatry, 157, 6-12.

Barlow, D. H. (1988). Anxiety and its disorders: The nature and treatment of anxiety and panic. New York: The Guilford Press.

Barlow, D. H. (1994). Effectiveness of Behavior treatment for panic disoder with and without agoraphobia. In Wolfe, B. & Master J. (Ed)

Treatment of panic disorder: A consensus development conference. Washington: American Psychiatric Press.

International EMDR Annual Conference, Sunnyvale, CA.

Shapiro, F. (1989a). Eye movement desensitization. A new treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Behavior Therapy

and Experimental Psychiatry, 20, 211-217.

Shapiro, F. (1989b). Efficacy of the eye movement desensitization procedure in the treatment of traumatic memories. Journal of Traumatic Stress

Studies, 2, 199-223.

Shapiro, F. (1991). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing procedure: From EMD to EMDR: A new treatment model for anxiety and

related traumata. Behavior Therapist, 14, 133-135.

Shapiro, F. (1994). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures. New York: The Guilford press.

Shear, M., Cooper, A., Klerman, G., Busch, M. & Shapiro T.

(1993). A psychodynamic model of panic disorder. Am. J. Psychiatry, 150:

Sheehan, D. V., Ballenger, J., & Jacobsen, G. (1980). Treatment of endogenous anxiety with phobic, hysterical, and hypochondriacal symptoms.

Arc. Gen. Psychiatry, 37, 51-59.

Telch, M., Lucas, J., Schmidt, N. et al. (1993). Group cognitivebehavioral treatment of panic disorder. Behav. Res. Ther., 31, 279-287.

Translation Alexandra Rigina

1987. Going through a difficult period in her life (oncological disease, divorce from her husband), American psychologist Francine Shapiro experienced real suffering: she was tormented by obsessive fears and nightmares. One day, while walking in the park, she noticed that rapid movements of her eyes from left to right alleviated her condition. She continued research that confirmed that the method helps with post-traumatic stress. Shapiro completed her dissertation on EMDR and in 2002 received the Sigmund Freud Prize, the most prestigious award in the field of psychotherapy.

Definition

EMDR is a psychotherapeutic technique used to treat emotional trauma. It is designed primarily for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction syndrome, or depression caused by the loss of a loved one. At the moment of trauma (accident, terrorist attack, natural disaster, physical or moral violence), the human brain remembers all the details related to this event. Memories of them continue to haunt him, unsettling him. EMDR helps clients improve their condition by identifying feelings and images associated with the painful experience of trauma and changing their perception of the event.

Operating principle

The EMDR method is based on the neurological concept of psychological trauma and allows you to accelerate healing through words. A traumatic event blocks the processes of self-regulation of the psyche: images, sounds or bodily sensations associated with a painful experience seem to “get stuck” in it, so that the person experiences horror, pain, fear and helplessness again and again. Eye movement helps synchronize the rhythms of the brain hemispheres. And eye movements from side to side cause alternate activation of the hemispheres and synchronous processing of information. Natural self-regulation processes are restored, and the brain completes its work on its own.

Work progress

After explaining the action plan to the client, the psychotherapist invites him to first think about something good. Next, a “target” is selected: some event from the past that haunts him, or a current situation that serves as a subject of concern (phobia or anxiety attacks). Focusing on the painful situation, the client concentrates his gaze on the therapist's hand moving from left to right. During each session, he must follow 15 such rhythmic movements, wide and precise (the span is about 1 m). In pauses between exercises, you can talk about this event and evaluate the intensity of the emotion experienced about it. Classes are held until the client notices a decrease in the severity of the experience. During the procedure, the specialist also helps to form new, positive images instead of those associated with the injury. The memory of the trauma does not disappear, but it ceases to hurt the person.

Indications for use

For those who experience severe post-traumatic stress (after a terrorist attack, violence or disaster), as well as in cases where a past event has left a painful memory. This technique can also help with disorders such as drug addiction, anorexia or depression. Contraindications: severe mental conditions, some heart and eye diseases.

How long? What is the price?

EMDR is often used in combination with other techniques and can help relieve stress and speed up the healing process. EMDR is not used when first meeting a client; it is necessary to first obtain an understanding of the patient's history and the nature of symptoms. Sometimes one session of EMDR is enough. The session lasts 1 hour and costs from 1500 rubles

If you have a general understanding of the Bates method of improving vision, then you know that a person’s psycho-emotional state significantly affects visual acuity. Bates argued that vision is a mental rather than a physical process that occurs in our brain. It is not without reason that his method is based on special techniques that contribute to the gradual restoration of vision in those who practice.

It turns out that the relationship between the eyes and the psyche can be used in another direction: physical eye movements influence a person’s mental state in a certain way. This principle is the basis of Francine Shapiro’s method of treating psycho-emotional trauma. In the scientific community, this method is known as EMDR - eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.

EMDR is an effective addition to time-tested psychotherapy techniques. It is most often used to treat patients suffering from fear and increased anxiety, neurotic disorders after suffering psychological and physical trauma.

What is the secret to the effectiveness of this technique?

It turns out that a miracle of nature - the human brain does not always have time during the day to completely process all the information that comes to it. But at night, during so-called REM sleep, when the muscles are completely relaxed, the brain is noticeably activated and begins to “tighten up its tails,” processing information received earlier in the day and accumulated in memory. Since the eyes are the main channel for information to enter the brain, they also take part in this process, moving quickly under closed eyelids.

But this process of “pulling up the tails” is disrupted in the case of too strong emotional experiences. These “tails” (problematic situations) continue to torment the human psyche even after sleep. Over time, this psychological stress intensifies, manifesting itself in the form of nightmares, depression, etc.

To relieve a person’s memory of unnecessary information disturbing him, Francine Shapiro proposed artificially creating a state similar to REM sleep for his brain. To achieve this state, a person is asked to move his eyes in a way that occurs during REM sleep. It is not easy for an untrained person to get the maximum effect from this technique. But to eliminate simple psychological problems, such as relieving tension after a quarrel, getting rid of a feeling of discomfort, you can use this technique yourself.

Here's what you need to do to improve your psycho-emotional state using the Francine Shapiro method:

• Focus your thoughts on what causes you negative feelings. Try to remember this situation in every detail.

• Without stopping to think about it, move your gaze from left to right and vice versa with as much amplitude as possible. Increase the speed of your eye movements until it is comfortable for you.

• After this, change the direction of eye movement from horizontal to vertical (up and down). It is this direction that best relieves emotional anxiety and calms the nerves. Move your eyes also in other directions: diagonally, in a circle (clockwise and counterclockwise), along an imaginary figure eight.

• 24-36 eye movements are usually enough to improve the psycho-emotional state and gain a sense of comfort. A mental return to the problem situation after this usually evokes a neutral attitude, sometimes even a positive one. After some time, a person no longer perceives the experienced events as a problem, but as a life experience, which in the future will contribute to more quickly finding less painful solutions in similar situations.

The Shapiro Method allows us to no longer bury our heads in the sand or try to run away from problems. On the contrary, we return to it, remember it in all details, and then, with the help of our eyes, we launch the mechanism of erasing it from memory in order to gain peace of mind.

P.S. This video nicely complements what has already been said about the Shapiro method:

Today I want to bring to your attention an amazing computer program that will help you get rid of many negative experiences and memories using a set of simple visual exercises.

Yes, yes, that's right: by doing visual exercises, you are freed from many dramatic incidents from your past. Fears disappear, painful memories leave, sad feelings dissipate, grievances melt, painful emotions disappear. This is amazing, isn't it?! Sit back and get ready to listen - you will find a story about how it all works, how it helps us.

This story began in 1987, when American psychotherapist Francine Shapiro, walking through the park, discovered that some thoughts that were disturbing her at that moment suddenly disappeared as if by themselves, and without any conscious effort on her part. But the most surprising thing was that when Francine returned to these thoughts, they no longer had the same negative impact on her as they had a few minutes ago.

Francine Shapiro

And this discovery made such a strong impression on her that she completely focused on her feelings, on what was happening, trying to find an explanation for this magical change in her consciousness.

“I noticed,” writes Shapiro, “that when disturbing thoughts arose, my eyes spontaneously began to move from side to side and up and down diagonally. Then the disturbing thoughts disappeared, and when I deliberately tried to remember them, the negative charge inherent in these thoughts turned out to be significantly reduced.

Noticing this, I began to make deliberate movements with my eyes, concentrating my attention on various unpleasant thoughts and memories. I noticed that all these thoughts disappeared and lost their negative emotional connotation.”

So, Shapiro made an interesting discovery, which told her that there was some obvious connection between eye movements and the intensity of negative experiences, and after a long theoretical and experimental study, she was put forward a hypothesis that could explain the reason for the rapid release from negative emotions. And I wish I could especially emphasize that this hypothesis is in line with modern provisions on human mental activity, and is consistent with the main schools and theories in psychology: biochemical, behavioral, psychodynamic, etc.

According to modern concepts, the brain consists of countless individual neurons (mind and memory units, if you like). These neurons are connected to each other in chains, neural plexuses. These plexuses are also connected to each other, and, in general, all these connections and interconnections give rise to a neural network.

Neural chains perform a wide variety of tasks: like the shelves of a closet where you store certain things, neural chains also store some important information - and in one chain, for example, a memory of first love is stored, in another a memorized poem, in a third - ability to add numbers, and so on.

If you watched the movie "Dreamcatcher", then remember this episode where our subconscious is presented in the form of a huge library. This is an interesting, but not very plausible comparison: our neural network is much more complex than any library, and if we imagine this network as a library, then the books must interact with each other. Because neural circuits are dynamically connected to each other. And, for example, the neural circuit of our first love is connected to another circuit about the first sexual experience. It is also connected with the chain about the first date, with the chain about the first awareness of one’s feelings.

Hundreds, thousands, millions of different combinations and combinations. The more connections between neural chains, the more flexible the brain works, the more resources are used to solve a particular problem. And, on the contrary, the fewer connections a chain has, the more difficult it is to interact with it.

If a neural chain is a certain problem of ours, and this chain does not have a sufficient number of neural connections, then this problem will be very difficult to solve, because all our experience, all our skills, experiences and abilities are not used in solving this problem.

F. Shapiro's method (Desensitization and processing of trauma by eye movements, or EMDR) is based on the position that traumatic events lead to the appearance of autonomous isolated neural chains of traumatic experience in the neural network. On the way between the traumatic chain and other parts of the neural network, a barrier is formed that prevents not only the “exchange of experience” between them, but also contact with them in general.

And to be more precise, it looks like this: “having started,” the chain forms a series of contact chains, or associative channels, through which it receives significant information. And this chain is strictly focused on receiving only those stimuli that restimulate it. Any other potential contact (let’s assume this is a chain with useful experience, that “every cloud has a silver lining”) is fundamentally blocked.

Let's look at this with an example. Let's say a woman has experienced drama, her loved one has left her. A traumatic neural chain appears in the neural network, and, on the one hand, it “sticks” to all other chains that activate its work, and, on the other hand, it is delimited, isolated by a biochemical barrier on the way to the formation of connections with other parts of neural experience.

And this neural chain of trauma begins to work like a nipple, strictly in one direction: everything that reminds her of the trauma, she easily misses, and everything that can alleviate her suffering is hindered.

As a consequence, over a long period of time this “nodule” of injury is subject to constant restimulation. The house, photographs, dishes, conversations of loved ones, bed, certain hours of the day, things, TV, furniture, the road to work - everything constantly reminds her of what happened, memories constantly “pile up”, constantly the same painful thoughts and emotions. And at the same time, everything that is “in the other direction” does not lead to results: reassurance from loved ones only provokes tears, the psychotherapist’s speeches do not help in any way, sedatives cause disgust, time “does not heal”, everything and everyone is sickening to look at.

And all this happens because the traumatic experience is alienated from the resources of the neural network, but is selectively connected only to those areas (associative channels) that enhance its reactivity. This is why sometimes a person experiencing drama is said to be “clinging to his grief.” But, in fact, he is not to blame for anything, and he himself suffers the most from this. He suffers much more than he could suffer if all parts of the experience of the neural network were fully included in his emotional state.

A reasonable question arises: if such an organization of neural traumatic experience occurs without any conscious (or even unconscious) human participation, and is unjustifiably one-sided and harmful, then why did nature create this mechanism? What's the point? After all, there is no benefit, but only harmful harm. And why was such meanness invented in our body?!

And the meaning, my friends, is very, very simple. The thing is that such an organization is entirely focused on the bodily experience of existence. In the experience of any creature, a single traumatic experience (bodily trauma of any origin) must be remembered for the rest of its animal life in order to be guaranteed to avoid it when repeated.

Learning should always be done the first time - once and for all. And if, for example, a young fox pricks himself on the hedgehog’s needles, then he will no longer approach the hedgehog. A “prickly hedgehog” neural chain appears, which works strictly in one direction: and, on the one hand, our little fox will now never forget about the dangers of hedgehogs, and, on the other hand, he will never have the theory that “a hedgehog is a bird.” proud", and the like. The hedgehog is an enemy, a danger, period. And no options.

Alas, as the psychological component of life becomes more complex (to the level where the psychological can dominate over the physical, will over reflex, and logic over instinct), the process of formation of harmful traumatic neural “sores” (but now these are often not physical injuries, but psychological ones) hasn't changed a bit.

And if a negative experience happened, then the principle of formation of a neural chain is no different from a fox’s reaction to a hedgehog. The only difference is that the fox cub has a reaction only at that moment in time when the hedgehog is present in his field of vision. The only difference is that in humans the associative channels that restimulate the painful chain are hundreds and thousands of times more perfect and diverse than in any animal, and the restimulations themselves after a traumatic event acquire a landslide, obsessive and chronic character.

F. Shapiro discovered that spontaneous (or forced) eye movements break the barriers between “bad” neural experiences and the rest of the neural network. And by turning to various parts of his neural (and, in particular, sensory) experience, a person “connects” the traumatic chain to the general neural network, which gives very quick relief.

For now, in the process of his experience of trauma, sources of saving information are connected, which were previously tightly isolated.

That is why, as Shapiro writes, with the deliberate repetition of any disturbing thoughts, it is discovered that they no longer have the negative power that they had before.

It is noteworthy that there is one type of mental activity when the EMDR method proposed by Shapiro works as if by itself: this is sleep and dreaming. In sleep, there is a repeating phase of rapid eye movement (REM), when the sleeper's eyeballs literally begin to “dart” from side to side. As soon as this happens (and this happens several times in one dream), the person absolutely sees the dream. It can be assumed that processes similar to EMDR occur in a dream: healing, resourceful experiences from other parts of the neural network are added to the traumatic experience. Thus, we can say that sleep is a spontaneous form of psychological self-healing.

Unfortunately, just as spontaneous is the formation of rigid patterns of negative experience, expressed in the fact that a traumatic experience of any kind is accompanied by the direction of the gaze at one point. And it doesn’t matter where this point is, on the right or left, above or below, diagonally up or down - the only thing that matters is that our gaze returns to this starting point again and again, and this makes our experience worse. But if, as Shapiro suggested, you force your gaze to any other point, then the strength of the negative experience immediately weakens.

But this is not the most important thing. For a person, no matter what state he is in, cannot think about the same thing all the time, it is impossible. One way or another, he is distracted, something distracts him, he changes his point of view and is temporarily freed from negative emotions.

But as soon as the external stimulus weakens, thoughts (and gaze) immediately return to their original position, like a tumbler doll. This means that a simple switch will not be enough; more subtle work is needed: to shift a person’s gaze while preserving his thoughts and feelings about the negative experience. And if a certain direction of gaze is a certain concentration of experience, then, by forcing a person to think in any other direction of gaze, we give him a chance to use unused resources that were blocked by the traumatic chain.

EMDR therapy

This is how the EMDR method came about - desensitization and processing of trauma with eye movements. And if you are interested in this method, you can read Shapiro’s book about it, the book is called: “Psychotherapy of emotional trauma using eye movements.” This book was published by the publishing house "Klass", and, if desired, it can be found. This is a very serious and thorough work describing the basic principles, protocols and procedures of EMDR.

And today we also have at our disposal a special EMDR computer program called “Eye Movement Integrator,” developed (using the method of Frances Shapiro) by psychologist Natalya Doroshenko.

Eye movement integrator

The program will be of interest, first of all, to practicing psychotherapists and doctors, heads of medical institutions, rehabilitation centers for post-traumatic syndromes (Chechen, Afghan), and all those who, as part of their duty, have to work with traumatic experiences of different “nature” and gravity.

The Eye Movement Integrator program consists of two parts: an introductory block, where you will receive instructions on how to work with the program, and a therapeutic block, where traumatic experience is processed.

At the initial stage, the introductory part will be necessary for familiarization, and I strongly recommend reading the entire course of instructions from beginning to end, and answering all the questions posed by the program. And after the introductory part is over and you are completely ready to perform the exercises, the program will smoothly take you to the beginning of the first session.

Upon entering your therapeutic field, you will see as if the night sky and the points of stars moving on it. At the bottom of the screen, where you're used to seeing the Control Panel button and the Start button, you'll find a row of buttons that help you set up your therapy session.

Setting the Frame

Briefly, the essence of the therapeutic process can be expressed as follows: you remember your problem (you will be instructed in more detail about this in the introductory part), and after that you mentally place it inside the geometric figure you have chosen.

Control Panel

There are no recipes as to which figure is best to choose for a session: your intuition itself will tell you which figure is best suited to solve a particular problem.

Once a shape is selected, it will appear in the center of the screen. Now you can further customize it to your taste. First, you can change the thickness of the shape's frame. Secondly, you can change the fill color of the selected shape, and increase or decrease the size of the shape itself.

After all preparations for the session are completed, we can begin our first healing session.

So, we'll start: we place our problem inside the selected figure, and launch our session (the "Select Session" button on the panel). And after that, for 15 minutes we just have to follow the movements of the selected figure with our eyes, mentally keeping our problem inside it. Forget about everything, organize everything so that you will not be disturbed for at least one hour, and focus completely on this process.

moving figure

There are four sessions in total, each of them will make the figure move in a certain sequence.

For example, in the first session the figure will move from left to right and right to left. In the second session, it will either move away from you or come closer. Each EMDR session uses unused brain resources; with every minute of the session, more and more neuron friends will come to your aid.

After the first exercise, you will be able to detect significant changes in your sensations, in your experiences, in your thoughts and feelings.

At the end of each session, the program will ask you to comprehend all the changes that occurred BEFORE the session and those that occurred AFTER.

Download the program

You can download "Integrator" in the catalog of computer programs.

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