Despite the success of my EMDR Basic Training instructors, I remember feeling completely intimidated by Francine Shapiro’s brilliant overview of the “Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) Model”. It took considerable EMDR practice for me to more fully appreciate how this framework could guide all my therapeutic work with all of my clients. After considerable EMDR practice, I now fully appreciate this framework as a guide to my therapeutic work with all my clients.

As an EMDR trainer, I often wonder if my students may experience a similar struggle to understand the AIP model, and I often find myself reviewing the AIP model with my EMDR consultees. As I return to blog writing for DABA, I’ll offer a practical description of the AIP model to help new EMDR therapists understand the foundational importance of the model and provide language for explaining EMDR to their clients.

So, what is the AIP model? The Adaptive Information Processing Model (AIP) is the theory that guides all EMDR practice. It is based on the understanding that all human beings are born with an adaptive processing system that allows our brain to integrate experiences that happen both outside and inside of ourselves.

Using the AIP model, EMDR therapists focus on past memories that are the root of the client’s current symptoms. We understand that all past experiences are physically stored in associated memory networks and that these memories form perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors that influence our well-being. 

Unfortunately, traumatic or overwhelming experiences disrupt our AIP system, causing unprocessed information to be stored in distinct memory networks. New, similarly distressing experiences link to past stored memories, causing more pervasive negative interpretations, feelings, and behaviors. This process is often repeated, creating more layers of disturbing memories that negatively impact our sense of self-worth, sense of safety, responsibility, and limit our sense of control or choice. 

Trauma also causes these distressing memory networks to become disconnected from positive memories that make us feel esteemed, safe, responsible, and in control. Isolation from positive experiences increases distress within the disturbing memory networks. 

To further complicate things, highly charged experiences are stored in our implicit memory systems. These memories hold past distressing perspectives, affects, and sensations, and are not consciously recalled but often experienced only as a felt sense. Present-day experiences that remind us of these past events often trigger negative thoughts, emotions, sensations, images, and memories from these stored memory networks, causing us to feel like the past is happening in the present. Since we cannot consciously recall these experiences, when we are triggered in this way, it will feel like we are overreacting, or we are experiencing symptoms of a mental health disorder.

After the EMDR therapist has collected a comprehensive client history, developed stabilization methods, and assessed client readiness factors, they use Francine Shapiro’s Standard Protocol to guide clients to directly access the dysfunctional stored memories and reprocess them by offering dual attention stimuli. EMDR reprocessing helps the brain release negative perceptions, emotions, and sensations from a memory, while connecting it to positive memory networks, ensuring the client stays grounded in the present with the therapist’s support. As a very smart 10-year-old boy once told me, “Amanda, it’s like the good stuff in my brain is kicking out the bad stuff”. 

Processing causes memories to shift from being implicit and non-declarative (“I have a feeling this happened to me”) to becoming explicit/declarative memories (“I am conscious that this happened to me”). Memories will also move from being episodic (“this is about me”) to being semantic (“this is something that happened to me”). It’s incredibly moving to see how EMDR helps my clients safely release deep pain, let go of guilt about their trauma, connect with their inner strength, and feel safe and secure. 

Now that we know what the AIP model is, here are some AIP oriented questions that therapists can ask themselves to guide their EMDR practice: 

  • Have I gathered a comprehensive client history and identified early memories that may become activated during reprocessing and may block resolution of more recent traumatic events?
  • Am I looking beyond my client’s current symptoms to uncover dysfunctionally stored memory networks that are causing this distress? Have I considered how my client’s distress makes sense given their past experiences?
  • Does my client have enough positive, adaptive memory networks for disturbing memory networks to connect with during reprocessing? Is there enough “good stuff” to kick out the “bad stuff”, or do I need to stay in the Preparation Stage (Phase 2) to build client reprocessing capacity?
  • Have I explained to my client that EMDR therapy is most effective when we begin by reprocessing earlier memories? Have I told them that resolving earlier memories can make subsequent memories feel less disturbing? Have I cautioned them that earlier memories can block resolution of more recent memories?
  • Have I explained to clients reluctant to reprocess earlier memories that if these memories surface we will safely contain them and decide together how best to move forward?
  • Have I explained to parents how their child’s anxiety or disruptive behaviors make sense based on their past experiences? 

I could go on all day about the importance of the AIP model, so I’ll have to stop myself here. I do hope that this blog has demystified the AIP model and has encouraged EMDR therapists to always come back to this fundamental EMDR question – “Based on the AIP model, how does this client experience make sense?”