Rebecca Saunders (00:03.064)
Hello, welcome back to the EMDR Doctor podcast. Today I'm going to talk about the EMDR hangover. No alcohol involved, hopefully, but this is a great descriptive term for that sensation or mood that we get after a big EMDR session. So immediately after the session, most or many people feel pretty good on top of the world. In fact, I have actually had people skip out of the room, feeling so much lighter and freer having worked on that terrible memory.
This good feeling usually lasts for a few hours, but then often not always there is a bit of a slump. For some people this low state might last a few hours, for some a few days, some people it lasts a week. Sometimes it's just mild tiredness, other people feel completely exhausted or wrecked. This is normal. Your brain has worked really hard in a way that it hasn't worked before and tiredness is normal. Rest.
Importantly, this does not mean that the session hasn't worked and it doesn't mean that you're getting worse. It's just really important not to misinterpret this as a worsening of your state as that misinterpretation might lead you to that old hairy chestnut of thinking I'm broken, I'm never going to get better, which is actually really far from the truth. So what does it look like this hangover? It's a low energy state, tiredness or exhaustion, maybe reluctance to be out of the house.
hesitancy to socialize, fears about other people may increase temporarily or an impulse to hide away or cocoon yourself. Sleep disturbance sometimes happens, nightmares, bad dreams, that sort of thing. Now, nightmares often reduce as time goes by with EMDR therapy, but in the short term, the EMDR process can actually cause some change in your dreams.
nightmares can change in frequency, intensity or content, or dreams can just be really vivid and florid and all this is normal. Physical pain becomes an issue. So for people who have chronic fatigue or chronic pain syndromes, it's not uncommon to experience a temporary increase in symptoms. So it makes sense if you think about it. Chronic pain and chronic fatigue syndrome
Rebecca Saunders (02:25.57)
are often associated with trauma. Trauma lives in the body. It's a complex network between brain and body, and we shouldn't even try and separate them like we do. So it's very likely that the symptoms of chronic pain have been contributed to via the nervous system as a result of the trauma. And as the trauma releases, the body memories can become activated and they can cause an increase in symptoms.
However, this is absolutely temporary and it does settle with time. What might be going on for some people is a recognition of the extent or the severity of the trauma that they've experienced. A revelation of just how bad things actually were in their childhood or in their marriage or in their relationships, which can actually be really uncomfortable as our natural defences of denial or idealization of our parent or whatever the defense is.
gets lowered or smoothed away and we see our experiences more clearly for what they actually were. So maybe with an EMDR session, that particular one of a group of memories gets resolved. But what happens then is that the brain goes to all those other experiences that are connected within that memory network and we see them even more clearly than we did before. So even as we're healing,
the insight we get is both really helpful and illuminating, and at the same time can be distressing and difficult to deal with. We see things more clearly. This makes a lot of sense and it's also distressing to see and understand. So it can bring an increase in awareness of what's happened to us. Sometimes I talk about the tip of the iceberg. Many people present therapy knowing some of the bad things that have happened to them.
And once we work on those, it might be like, so the way that person treated me was really just not okay. And then all the other times that they treated you like that can become more obvious. So you see the bottom of the iceberg. So how to manage that post EMDR hangover, like any hangover, rest, lots of fluids, and a bit of Panadol can be useful.
Rebecca Saunders (04:46.966)
Self care is the word here. Do what your body and your mind are telling you to do. Try and eat good healthy foods, lots of vegetables and fruit and good proteins and try and avoid sugar. Sugar is likely to exacerbate things because it gives you a temporary energy boost and then you get that post sugar crash. So I'm not saying don't have anything nice because enjoyment is important.
but just make sure that you're getting vitamins and nutrients and not just feel good foods. So lots of water, herbal teas, et cetera, can be a nice grounding thing to give yourself and avoid too much caffeine as this will often exacerbate anxiety that comes with bad memories. So why did I say Panadol?
We're all familiar with Panadol as a gentle analgesic that helps physical pain, but there are also studies that show that it helps with the emotional pain as well, which is not surprising as the body and brain are so synergistic. So try this as a simple and easy step to help alleviate emotional pain. And I do want to just put in a little warning about that. So don't use stronger painkillers for emotional pain.
because this leads to dependence and addiction and always stick to the recommended dosages. So what else can you do to practically manage the EMDI hangover? Avoid watching the news or intense shows or movies. You just do not need that emotional pollution in your brain. Grounding exercises can be helpful, weighted blankets, cold water on your face to help regulate that high emotion.
all those usual self -help strategies. So I might later devote a podcast episode to some other strategies in a bit more detail. But in the meantime, if you want to access my resource, 10 Tools to Feel Better Now, then it's on my website, emdrdoctor .com .au and just click the link at the top of the page. And that'll give you some helpful instant strategies to help change your state.
Rebecca Saunders (06:59.338)
Gentle exercise is really helpful. a walk, yoga, tai chi, stretching, all those activities can bring your body back to a sense of calm and wholeness. And walking actually gives you the added benefit of bilateral to help process anything that's bothering you post -session. Heavier exercise can be good for some people.
especially if anger or fear is very predominant in your life, then exercise like running or boxing or gym can help settle the body and help release the adrenaline. But heavy exercise can also increase cortisol. So if you are very stressed, then it may not be helpful for you. So it's just a matter of trying things. If it's helping, keep doing it. If you don't find it helpful, then try something different.
In terms of physical exercise, dancing can be something that brings a sense of wholeness and joy to your body, helps you use your body in a fun kind of exuberant way. Connection may be something you find helpful or not. It really depends on the individual. So if you're connecting with someone who feels good and nurturing and helpful and that feels good to you, then go ahead. But if connection with other people brings anxiety and worry,
then just nurture yourself with solitude. It really is such an individual thing. Journaling can be useful if you feel the need, but I always tell my clients that there is no homework with EMDR. The work is done in the session. So if journaling feels like homework, don't do it. If it feels to you like a release or a way to organize your thinking in helpful way, then go for it. Music is a really
great way to change your state so it can bring either more calm or more energy or help release sadness or anger. And some people have playlists for all of those purposes and more. So just feel free to play with that. The way you talk to yourself can be really important. So a little bit of reassurance goes a long way. You can remind yourself that you've done the hard work on that particular memory, that you've making progress.
Rebecca Saunders (09:18.616)
that this state will not last too long, that you're progressing, that this is normal to have an EMDI hangover. It does not mean you're going backwards. It just means that your brain has worked really hard at something very worthwhile. It's working in a way that it hasn't worked before and that can lead to all of these upsetting symptoms, but you're working hard at something really worthwhile. Resolving your trauma is so worthwhile.
So as always, this advice is general in nature. It's not specific to you as an individual. And if you are concerned about your state of mind or your reaction to your EMDR session, then please do reach out to your therapist or your doctor for some assistance. So most EMDR therapists will be very happy to be updated about how you're feeling and your reaction to the therapy. And they'll be very happy to have a short chat to you about how to manage.
or what to do in your specific circumstances. If you do feel substantially worse or if there is any increase in suicidal thoughts, please do contact your therapist and let them help you with this. Also just know that you survived the trauma. And even though therapy can be hard, it is not as hard as the experience was. You survived your trauma and you will survive the therapy.
You're doing some magnificent therapy and the results will be there for you.
So I hope this has been helpful. Until next week, bye for now.
