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

What Is Rapid Eye Movement (REM)?

Source: David Servan Schreiber

“Now, keeping your head still, look left and right, alternately… 12 times, for 12 seconds”.

That’s what my father told me in August 2011. That was my very first conscious encounter with Rapid Eye Movement (REM) — and honestly, I had no idea what it was about. No explanations, no scientific background, no textbook lecture. Just trust.

And I did trust him. He’s a certified therapist with international recognition, a deep knowledge of psychology, and most importantly — he’s my dad. I didn’t need to understand it all right then. I just needed something to pull me out of the emotional storm I was in. So I followed his instructions and gave it a try.

Two weeks later, I landed the job I’d been hoping for. And years later, in 2018, I would finally understand the science behind the technique — and just how powerful it really is.

How I Use It

David Servan-Schreiber writes in his book The Instinct to Heal:

“The Rapid Eye Movement is similar to what we experience spontaneously during sleep (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 that accelerates the healing after psychological trauma.”

In simple terms? REM helps your brain close the loop on old stress and trauma. Even better — your brain doesn’t distinguish between real and imagined or past and present (David R. Hamilton, 2014). So when you’re reminded of an old hurt — even through a smell, a sound, or a look — your body can react as if it’s happening again.

And that’s why we feel physical symptoms: racing heart, sweaty hands, tight chest. All from a memory.

But with REM, we can actually help the brain reprocess those memories and let go of the emotional charge.

In his book, Servan-Schreiber tells a story that stopped me in my tracks — a woman who had been abused by her father as a child. During her EMDR therapy session, she followed the REM movement while recalling the trauma. And then — something shifted. For the first time, she could see it clearly: it wasn’t her fault. She was just a child.

That story stayed with me. And I thought:

If this works for deep, devastating “Big T” trauma… maybe it can help with my “little t” traumas too.

When It Helped Me

Let’s talk about those “little t” traumas for a second.

“Little ‘t’ traumas are distressing events that don’t necessarily threaten life, but still leave emotional scars. Emotional abuse, bullying, a breakup, even losing a pet.” — JourneyPureRiver.com, 2020

What hit me most was this part: “Repeated exposure to little ‘t’ traumas can cause more harm over time than one big ‘T’ event.”

And that explained a lot.

You know that jolt you feel when a stressful email comes in from someone you don’t trust? Or that spike in your chest when your phone rings before a tense meeting? Those are symptoms. Your body remembering a past trigger.

I realized I didn’t want to live like that. I didn’t want to let old stressors hijack my body’s chemistry — flooding me with cortisol and adrenaline — every time I felt challenged or exposed.

“Stress triggers your adrenal glands to produce hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Over time, this chemical cocktail can take a toll on your physical health.” — Jill Seladi-Schulman, PhD, Healthline, 2019

And let’s be honest — I didn’t want to feel like other people’s actions had control over my physical and emotional state. So, I applied the REM technique. Any time I felt thrown off, triggered, or emotionally unbalanced, I’d find a way to do it: at my desk, in a quiet room, later that night.

I’d do 12 seconds of left-right eye movement. And after… I’d feel calm. Clear. Centered. Like something unresolved had just… released.

David was right: REM helps “finish what wasn’t finished.”

The Connection to Triggers and Healing

One thing became clear: if I hadn’t been so desperate in 2011 to get out of the turmoil I was in… I probably would have dismissed this technique as too simple.

But here’s what I’ve learned: Sometimes it’s the simple tools that are the most powerful.

Our brain is wired to respond. If we give it the right signals — like REM — we can interrupt the cycle of trauma, stress, and emotional buildup. We can shift ourselves out of “Fight-or-Flight” and back into a state of peace.

And the best part? It only takes 12 seconds.

Final Thought

If you’ve been carrying stress you can’t quite explain… If you feel hijacked by your thoughts, or your past, or your inbox… Try it. Just 12 seconds of moving your eyes left and right. Let your brain do the rest.

As my dad said: “Just apply the tool.”

Because sometimes healing starts with the simplest step forward.