Rapid Eye Movement

Length: 2 Minutes

Goal: To reduce compulsive thinking and/or persistent irritation or anger

Source: David Servan Schreiber (“The Instinct to Heal: Curing Depression, Anxiety and Stress Without Drugs and Without Talk Therapy”, 2009)

Exercise:

Step 1

Focus on the situation visually: 

Where were you? How did the place look? What were you doing? Were you alone? If not, who was with you? What happened that upset you? How did you react to the situation?

Step 2

Focus on the situation emotionally: 

What was the emotion associated with your reaction?

On a scale 1-10, how did you feel?

Step 3

Focus on the physical reaction: 

Is there a physical response associated with that emotion? If yes, where? 

Step 4

Apply Rapid Eye Movement:

Alternately look to your left and right sides, 12 times each, for 12 seconds.

Take a 30 seconds break.

Step 5

Check-in:

On a scale 1-10, how do you feel? 

Repeat the steps until you are satisfied with where you are on the scale. 

My explanation

Rapid Eye Movement (REM)

Source: David Servan Schreiber

“And then, keeping your head still, look alternatively to your left and right side 12 times each, for 12 seconds”, said my father in August 2011. That was the first time I consciously got in contact with Rapid Eye Movement (REM).

During his visit for a sharing session on a couple of techniques that would help lift me out of despair, I trusted my father and applied his techniques – despite not having any explanation on the scientific backgrounds of those techniques. When I started to apply the techniques back in 2011, I didn’t question the how and why because it was not my priority. My priority was to get out of the turmoil I was living in. I decided to give it a try, trusting my father’s education and expertise in psychology, along with his internationally recognized certification as a therapist and his unconditional love for me. “He must know what he is doing”, I said to myself. And he did know, as it would be confirmed two weeks later when I got the job I wanted, and later on by understanding the science behind the how and why in 2018.

“The Rapid Eye Movement is similar to what we experience spontaneously during sleeping (REM), and it is supposed to finish what was not possible, to finish when the adverse life experience took place. It is a natural mechanism which accelerates the healing after a psychological trauma.” (David S. Schreiber in The Instinct to Heal: Curing Depression, Anxiety and Stress Without Drugs and Without Talk Therapy, 2003) 

Our brain does not recognize the difference between real and imagined activities (David R. Hamilton PhD, 2014), or between past, present and future activities. As we perceive physical reality through sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, we attach an emotional meaning to each life experience. So, any situation similar to a past experience, involving the same thoughts, emotions, visuals and/or sounds, smells, tastes, and sensations, can recall (like a trigger) that past experience in its totality. That is why, if the situation recalls an adverse life experience involving immense stress (the “Fight-or-Flight” state), we may feel our heart beating faster, our rate of breathing accelerating, our stomach burning, or our hands sweating. Even if we are just revisiting a memory…

In his book “The Instinct to Heal”, David S. Schreiber caught my attention when describing the extraordinary healing process of one of his patients who had been raped as a child by her father. While she was describing what happened, she shared that she had the feeling of being responsible for her father’s action – as most sexually abused victims feel. David S. Schreiber asked her, during EMDR therapy, while she was thinking and talking about the horrendous past situation, to do the Rapid Eye Movement. She did it. After a 30-second break, while recalling the memory of the event, she could finally see and perceive that the rape was not her fault, that she was just a child when it happened, and that it was her father’s responsibility to take care of and protect her. 

Not intending to undervalue any intense trauma (“T” trauma) associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – which includes serious injury, sexual violence or life-threatening experiences – I thought to myself, “If the Rapid Eye Movement works for horrendous cases, such as a woman who was raped as a child, it must also work for my case!”. By “my case” I meant my “t” traumas.

“Little “t” traumas are highly distressing events that affect individuals on a personal level, but don’t fall into the big “T” category. Examples of little “t” trauma include non-life-threatening injuries, emotional abuse, death of a pet, bullying or harassment, and loss of significant relationships…Evidence now concludes that repeated exposure to little “t” traumas can cause more emotional harm than exposure to a single big “T” traumatic event. Empathy and acceptance of the impact of little “t” traumas can be harder to garner because of the common misconception that these events are less significant than life-threatening emergencies. Minimizing the impact of these little “t” incidents can create adverse coping behaviors such as bottling up emotions or attempting to manage symptoms without support. Failing to address the emotional suffering of any traumatic event may lead to cumulative damage over time.” (https://journeypureriver.com/big-t-little-t-trauma/, 2020).

You know that feeling when your body shakes just because you acknowledged you got a new email from someone you don’t like or trust? What about those uncomfortable chills you get just by hearing the ringing of your work cell phone? Does your heartbeat accelerate 10 minutes before an important meeting? These are all symptoms of stress response to existing “t” traumas. I started to recognize these in myself as such and, consequently, wanted to rid them from my life. Why? Because I didn’t want to live in constant stress response, letting my own body produce, for prolonged periods of time, a cocktail of stress hormones, which could impact my physical health. As Jill Seladi-Schulman states in one of her articles, “There are a lot of theories about how stress could possibly contribute to a person’s risk of developing cancer.” 

“When your brain recognizes something as a possible threat or danger, a combination of nerve and hormone signals are sent to your adrenal glands. In turn, these glands produce hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, that kickstart the stress response.”, Jill Seladi-Schulman, PhD. (https://www.healthline.com/health/can-stress-cause-cancer#types-of-stress, 2019).

Furthermore, the vision of my physical and mental life being controlled by peoples’ actions contributed enormously to me wanting to stop these chaotic thoughts. How? By applying the Rapid Eye Movement technique.

Since I read David S. Schreiber’s book “The Instinct to Heal”, I apply the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) any time I feel myself in an adverse life experience that forces me into a “Fight-or-Flight” state. If I have the opportunity, I apply it immediately after the event. If I am alone in my office, I do it at my desk. If I am not alone, I just look for a quiet place or I just take note of what happened and apply REM when I get home (sometimes before falling asleep). After I apply REM, I feel exactly what David S. Schreiber states: to finish what was not possible, and to finish when the adverse life experience took place. It helps in getting me back on my feet – calm, centered, free of external factors, and in peace with myself. 

If I hadn’t been desperate to get out of the turmoil I was in back in 2011, my logical thinking wouldn’t have allowed me to discover the wonderful, quick, and easy tool that Rapid Eye Movement is. 

12-second rounds are all it takes.  

Ready to try it?