STEP 1
If a disturbing thought is causing you to feel stressed or anxious, don't try to block it out. Just focus your eyes on the orange dot.
STEP 2
Try to hold the disturbing thought in your mind,while simultaneously keeping your eyes on the dot as it begins to move.
STEP 3
When the dot stops, focus only on your breath. Breathe in as the dot expands, and breathe out slowly as the dot contracts.
3 steps. 3 techniques.
The Desensitiser uses exposure therapy, eye movement reprocessing and focused breathing to reduce the intensity of emotions caused by disturbing thoughts and memories.
There are 3 steps to the Desensitiser, each step uses a different technique to desensitise your brain.
STEP 1: Exposure Therapy
By holding the disturbing thought in your mind, instead of trying to block it out, you give your brain a chance to get used to it. This is known as habituation – your brain basically learns that the thought is not actually dangerous and there is no need to hit the alarm.
STEP 2: Eye Moment Reprocessing
By tracking the dot , while focusing on a scary thought at the same time, the scary thought becomes a little less scary. It's not fully understood why following a dot (or a finger) helps to desensitise our brains to disturbing thoughts, but it does work. Studies have shown that Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) – a therapeutic technique which uses primarily eye movement reprocessing – is an effective treatment for addiction, anxiety and PTSD.
STEP 3: Focused Breathing
Slow, deep breathing triggers your brains Relaxation Response (also known as the 'Rest and Digest' response), which helps to reduce stress levels.
SOURCES
Shapiro, F (1989). "Efficacy of the eye movement desensitization procedure in the treatment of traumatic memories". Journal of Traumatic Stress. 2 (2): 199–223.
Lee CW, Cuijpers P (2013). "A meta-analysis of the contribution of eye movements in processing emotional memories". Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 44 (2): 231–239.