MEMI (Multichannel Eye Movement Integration) is a single incident, body stabilization technique. It’s a bottom up approach to release the distress being carried and experienced in the body so that the brain can then reconsolidate the memory.
The eyes and eye movements are effective because the optic nerve connects to multiple areas of the brain. So as we go through the specific movements of the protocol, we are able to access the visual past & present, auditory past & present, self talk and emotion areas of the memory. Neuroscience shows that as we reconsolidate the memory we can move it from the survival part of the brain (the amygdala) to the prefrontal cortex where memories should be stored. There are multiple reasons a memory can get ‘stuck’ in fight, flight or freeze and then drive the memory from the survival brain instead of the rational
The History of MEMI:
MEMI (Multichannel Eye Movement Integration) was developed by Dr. Mike Deninger of the Trauma Counseling & Training of Tuscon LLC and is informed by principles from neuroscience and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). It builds on research showing that eye movements and sensory processing play a role in how the brain stores, processes and resolves distressing memories.
“The first step in trauma recovery is for clients to feel safe: in their bodies, in therapy and in their lives. Neuroscience shows that when a person is able to reorganize the sensory and somatic aspects of a traumatic experience, the results are transformative.” (Dr. Mike Deninger)
