Adaptive information processing
Also known as AIP model, Adaptive Information Processing model, adaptive information processing
EMDR's theory: symptoms come from disturbing memories that were never fully processed.
At a glance
In plain words
A natural healing system, When it gets blocked, Why the past feels present …
See all 4Examples
The past colours the present, An old memory under a new trauma, Childhood memories behind anxiety …
See all 6How therapists use it
Choosing targets, Beyond PTSD
See all 2What the research says
Not established, Untestable, say critics, Competing explanation
See all 3Connections
EMDR (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), Francine Shapiro and 5 others
See all 7
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Adaptive information processing is the theory behind EMDR.
- It says the brain normally digests experiences and moves toward health.
- A traumatic event can block this, leaving the memory stored with its original feelings and beliefs.
- Present cues then trigger those old reactions.
- Treatment aims to link the memory to more adaptive information so it resolves.
Why it matters
- It is the explanation EMDR therapists give clients, so it is worth knowing both what it claims and how weakly it is supported.
Key facts
- In short
- Unprocessed memories of earlier experiences are the main foundation of many mental health problems1
- Developed by
- Francine Shapiro; set out in her 2001 textbook2
- Part of
- The theoretical model of EMDR therapy2
- Analogy
- Like a cut that heals unless something keeps irritating the wound2
- Evidence
- The proposed mechanism has no known scientific basis3
In plain words
-
A natural healing system2
The model assumes the brain's information processing system naturally moves toward mental health.
-
When it gets blocked1
A disturbing event can be stored with the emotions, body sensations and beliefs of the moment, unprocessed.
-
Why the past feels present1
Current events activate those stored memories, so today's reactions are colored by old perceptions.
-
What resolution looks like2
Processing forges new links to adaptive memories: distress drops, negative beliefs change and arousal falls.
Examples
-
The past colours the present1
Shapiro describes clients whose perceptions of current situations are coloured by unprocessed memories, so that "the past becomes present". Flashbacks, nightmares and intrusive thoughts in PTSD are her prime examples.
-
An old memory under a new trauma1
In a session transcript Shapiro discusses, a patient sought help for PTSD after an earthquake; processing surfaced childhood household dysfunction underneath, and insight tying past and present trauma emerged on its own.
-
Childhood memories behind anxiety1
The model points to experiences such as household dysfunction, bullying and humiliation as unprocessed memories that may be contributing to present anxiety.
-
A memory held in the body1
Shapiro attributes phantom limb pain to the unprocessed memory of the injury; in her account, once that memory is processed the pain sensations disappear.
-
New links forming4
In a published case, a woman's memory of a classmate vomiting quickly linked to other school memories, then to good ones from the same classroom. The image then changed: "what is actually disgusting about it?"
-
Belief change after processing2
The EMDR Institute's own example is a rape victim whose "horror and self-disgust" shifted to the belief "I survived it and I am strong".
How therapists use it
What the research says
-
Not established3
Wikipedia notes the incomplete-processing mechanism, though widely assumed by proponents, has no known scientific basis.
-
Untestable, say critics3
Critics argue EMDR's underlying theory is non-falsifiable, used to explain away studies that show no effect.
-
Competing explanation3
Others explain EMDR's effects through working memory load and the fact that recalled memories become modifiable.
Connections
Founded by
Related
- Memory reconsolidationTopicA related account: recalled memories become open to change
- Psychological traumaTopicExplains trauma symptoms as unprocessed memory
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and ProceduresBookThe model the book presents as its working hypothesis
- Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Self-Help Techniques from EMDR TherapyBookExplains unprocessed memories for general readers
- The Role of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy in Medicine: Addressing the Psychological and Physical Symptoms Stemming from Adverse Life ExperiencesPaperExplains the model behind EMDR
Links
Sources
- Shapiro F. The Role of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy in Medicine. Perm J 2014;18(1):71-77 (opens pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- What is EMDR? (EMDR Institute) (opens emdr.com)
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (Wikipedia) (opens en.wikipedia.org)
- de Jongh A. Treatment of a woman with emetophobia: a trauma focused approach. Ment Illn 2012;4(1):e3 (opens pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
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