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     Eye Movement Integration

Services - Eye Movement Integration™ (EMI™)

Eye Movement Integration™ (EMI™) was developed by Connirae and Steve Andreas based on the Neuro-Linguistic Programming of the late 1970s. It is a therapeutic neurological technique that is particularly effective with trauma, problematic memories and anxieties about the future.

EMI™ assists the mind to integrate different brain processing modes (e.g. visual, auditory, kinesthetic, emotional, cognitive) in a way that can support the resolution, (or at least provide clarification) for a wide range of symptoms and problems. EMI™ supports and encourages the client to find the answer within and utilize her/his own resources for change and to heal. 

What Happens

The therapist begins by explaining what EMI™ is and how it can be effective. The therapist then works with the client to determine a memory, an experience or an event that he/she would like to resolve or achieve greater clarity about. Then, an assessment is conducted by the therapist to determine the appropriateness of the technique to the issue that is presented.

At all times, the client is encouraged to take the lead in the process; from determining what memory or experience should be addressed to the statement that will be utilized to invoke the memory or experience. There is little talking during the technique application. The technique normally takes 1.5 - 2 hours and may or may not require a 2nd or 3rd application depending on the issue and the individual. A follow-up call is completed the next day to assess how the client is responding to the EMI™. In two weeks from the EMI™ treatment, the client is encouraged to process the experience and the learnings with his/her therapist.

More Information

Recent research is helping to shed light on the nature of trauma and the resulting physiological reactions in the mind and body. It is believed that trauma causes a variety of hormones to flood the body when it is under stress. Scientists believe that this physical reaction interferes with the brain's processing of information about the event.

Researchers have speculated that a person's ability to deal with a traumatic situation is blocked when the body is overloaded with stress hormones, causing the event to remain in an anxiety producing form when stored and retrieved as a memory. In other words, one continues to recall the full force of the event, along with the strength and severity of the emotions experienced at the time of the trauma. This prevents the brain from adequately processing and categorizing the memory as in the past, and of no current danger to the individual. Subsequently, the traumatic event, as well as its associated emotions, are replayed or re-experienced in the present. This happens in the form of flashbacks, nightmares, or anxiety, whenever the individual is reminded of the trauma.

In the clinical setting a therapist uses EMI™ to interrupt the patterns that were established as a result of a traumatic event. The client is asked to think about the event and/or to project a representation (memory) of the event out on a surface away from where they are sitting. While the client is projecting the memory, the therapist asks the client to follow the movement of a finger or pen with their eyes. Because eye movements are associated with the processing of specific types of information by the brain, it is believed that this technique helps the brain to reprocess the event without its traumatic aspects. The changes achieved are often dramatic.

For more information

Beaulieu, Danie. (2003) Eye Movement Integration Therapy: the comprehensive guide. Crown Housing Publishing: Williston, VT

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