
Multi-Channel Eye Movement Integration (MEMI)
This service can be used on its own or in addition to hypnosis.
Origins of MEMI:
Multi-Channel Eye Movement Integration (MEMI) was created by Mike Deninger, Ph.D. and is presented in the book “Multichannel Eye Movement Integration: The Brain Science Path to Safe and Effective PTSD Treatment. It is derived directly from the original Eye Movement Integration (EMI) methodology developed by Steve and Connirae Andreas (internationally recognized NLP innovators). Dr. Deninger transformed EMI into a new and innovative technique by adding certain enhancements to it, making it a full-bodied, multisensory, limbic eye movement therapy for PTSD.
What is MEMI and Why Does it Work?:
Otherwise known as “The Brain Science Path to Easy and Effective PTSD Treatment”, MEMI is an eye-movement therapy that can help desensitize memories associated with past trauma and help a person heal and move forward without traumatic memories negatively impacting them. It is based on the idea that our eyes naturally move in certain patterns when we are processing information, and that these patterns can be used to help us integrate traumatic experiences and emotions. So, when a person thinks about a traumatic memory and sees images from it in their mind like they are right back there again, their eyes will likely move to a particular location each time they recall that experience. The originators of this therapy discovered that if a person thinks about a difficult memory while their eyes follow something in front of them in a particular pattern, it interrupts the way their brain processes that information, and their reaction to the experience improves.
Of course, it’s more complicated than that and if you want to take a deep dive into it you can learn more about it here: https://multichanneleyemovementintegration.com/
What is a MEMI Session Like?
This therapy is very safe and gentle, in that a person does not need to talk about the details related to the traumatic experience or re-live it in any way. In fact, it can be done effectively without any content shared at all! This makes it very different from many other PTSD therapies out there. It is kinder, gentler, and more effective, often yielding faster results. It usually only takes one session and the changes are permanent.
We begin by anchoring in a positive state of mind, so that we can come back to that at any time if needed. This is, however, rarely needed.
Next, you are asked about the thoughts you have in your mind when you think about the traumatic experience, as well as any images and sounds associated with it. We don’t want to know what those images or sounds are, only if they feel close or far away or if they are clear or fuzzy, for example, or if the sounds (if there are any) are loud or soft, etc. We also talk about the emotional and physical feelings you have now when you think about the traumatic memory.
We are noting the intensity of all of these things so we have a starting point. Then, you safely imagine and project the memory some distance away from you while you think about it briefly and follow the slow movements of a pen with your eyes. As this is done, you will hear certain verbal suggestions to reframe and shift your thoughts and feelings about the experience.
Once a set of eye movements is complete, we re-test the intensity of everything so we can see what is changing. Usually, we do four sets of eye movements (adding on different movement patterns each time) and we see the intensity of everything gradually come down.
By the end of the whole process, when asked to think about the experience, images are harder to find, farther away, dimmer, smaller, etc. (if they are even there at all). Sounds are often gone from the mind or harder to hear. Emotional feelings have dissipated or shifted. Any physical feelings in the body are gone. And the thoughts about the experience have shifted to be more neutral, positive and/or forgiving.
The person still has a memory of the experience, but it’s different and it no longer affects them in the same way that it used to. MEMI simply diffuses or takes away the emotional charge that was causing all the problems. The MEMI protocol represents a paradigm shift away from the cognitive behavioral therapies and toward an approach that more immediately targets the brain’s reactions to traumatic experiences.
The whole process, start to finish, takes about 45 – 60 minutes and the results and positive transformations that happen each time are quite AMAZING!
Other Uses for MEMI:
Although it was developed to mainly deal with traumas and PTSD, MEMI (and basic guided eye movements) can also be used effectively for anxiety, fears and phobias, or for any uncomfortable emotion or feeling that comes up in a session.
I experienced a traumatic flight 8 years ago and was barely able to get on a single flight (within the last 8 years). I had frequent nightmares and my thoughts were often consumed by my fear of flying. As a result, this has held me back from many experiences and opportunities to travel. I tried Multi-Channel Eye Movement Integration (MEMI) at Edmonton Hypnosis Solutions and have significantly felt my stress around flying decrease, and my overall perspective has definitely shifted. During the hour-long session I felt a gradual decrease in emotional and physical reaction and less of an ability to recall the event, concluding the session feeling very calm and level. Since then, I’ve found I’m thinking about flying far less, and when I do, I feel less anxious and more focused on the destination I will be travelling to, rather than the travel itself. I’m very excited to take my next flight and see how the changes will impact my experience!
~Drew Macaulay
Prior to making the choice to pursue Hypnosis, my past was full of years of trauma; physical and sexual abuse. This trauma has been with me from a very young girl and as I grew up and became an adult; it continued to impact my everyday life. Having such heavy baggage lingering added extra stress and a multitude of other health issues, insecurities and fluctuating weight gain over the years.
While working with Ricky to determine the best option to attack my ongoing issue, she offered to do the MEMI method for the trauma issue that I had been facing. Obstructed from years of physical and sexual abuse, I was willing to be open to anything that could potentially help me move on from such trauma. We worked on each trauma separately using this method. When we were working our way through the thoughts, feelings and the emotions attached to these events, it felt as if layer by layer, I could relocate the very thoughts that smothered me over the years.
Over the session and through this process, the thoughts shifted and worked their way to an area in my mind that not only detached the emotion associated with the thoughts, but placed them in a section of my mind that no longer was at the forefront of my present thoughts. When the session concluded the feeling was not only a wow moment but also a feeling of emotional freedom, which I have not felt ever in my life.
Over the years I have done the typical therapy and it has been very positive and I have come a long way. However, with the traditional way of therapy it seems to take longer to sift through the trauma. This method took one session for me for physical and one session for sexual abuse that I have had been dealing with for over 35 years. MEMI changed the entire way I see the images and my reactions to them. I can say that in this moment, when I think about it, or I am faced with a trigger that in the past would send me in a tailspin; it no longer affects me the way it did in the past.
I can see the difference in myself on a daily basis. I am happier and no longer focused on fighting these thoughts. My family members also notice that I do not focus on it. I am no longer triggered. The mind is a very powerful tool and with guidance, it is amazing what we can accomplish.
I would recommend this to anyone that has been battling things that have altered their perspective on life. It is very freeing and can give you back a big part of yourself, the part that someone else impacted and you had no choice but to live with it. But with this method and process and some work; you get to choose yourself and take away anything that was in your path so you can move forward.
~Laura C.~