Dallas BraggFormer crystal methamphetamine user, I help men who have sex with men break free from the addictive patterns associated with Chemsex. Currently expanding my expertise by seeking to become a Certified

AfterMeth Podcast Short: EMDR Processing Trauma in Sleep

29 May 2025 · 1 min

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In this brief podcast excerpt, the host explains a theoretical link between Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy and REM sleep. They describe how REM sleep involves rapid eye movements and memory consolidation, and suggest that EMDR’s bilateral eye‑movement component may mimic REM processes, allowing traumatic memories to be processed overnight after a session. The speaker also outlines the therapeutic practice of pairing the removal of a negative belief with the insertion of a positive, affirming belief (e.g., replacing “I’ll never get better” with “my needs do matter” or “I can face anxiety and be okay”). The tone is conversational and instructional, with an optimistic stance toward the potential benefits of this approach.

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So the way EMDR works, the theory is at least, you know, when it comes to REM sleep, which in REM sleep, basically that's when you go to sleep, you get that deep sleep, your memories are being consolidated, they're being processed of like kind of what you took in throughout the day, different memories coming up, that type of thing. With EMDR, it's kind of the, the theory is it's paired with REM sleep cuz in REM sleep your eyes tend to dart back and forth, right? Mm-hmm. The same way EMDR when you're doing this, right? Mm-hmm. So your memories tend to be processed through the night when you sleep that night after an EMDR session. We're also like, you know, going into it from a framework of we're adding in a positive belief. So when we subtract a belief, we also want to add in a belief, right? So for example, I'll never get better, or my needs don't matter, right? It could be something along the lines of my needs do matter, just maybe the opposite. Or, you know, I can face anxiety and be okay, or I can keep myself safe and