What is the Flash Technique
The Flash Technique (Manfield et al. 2017) originates and developed in the search for Philip Manfield of a strategy useful for the preparation phase of the EMDR.
To date, it has become not only a useful supplementary tool, but also a real method, complete and low intensity, for the relief of the distress caused by traumatic memories.
Thus has generated a significant interest in the world of EMDR therapy (Manfield et al, 2021). The International Association (EMDRIA) presented it for two consecutive years (2018 and 2019) to the annual congresses and hopes for the formation of therapists through Basic and Advanced online courses.
The procedure
The procedure requires patients to identify the memory they must develop and subsequently focus on a positive experience (positive emotional focus).
The therapist asks in some moments, while the patient is involved in memory of the positive experience, to quickly close his eyes three times, banging the lashes.
In the original form, the traumatic memory was asked to recall in a very fast way, so that people did not even come into conscious contact with the contents of the memory and the associated emotions (“How to quickly pass their finger on a flame”).
In the most recent version, the patient is not even asked to recall the memory and proceed simply by recalling the interruption through the word “flash” and the bang of the eyelashes (Manfield & Engel, 2018).
The history of the Flash Technique
Phil Manfield was formed to the use of EMDR in 1991 by Francine Shapiro and found this method extremely powerful. It has therefore applied it over time to increasingly complex situations, such as cases of extreme dissociation and complex PTSD.
An essential element of EMDR therapy is that the person accesses, even if more briefly than other therapies, to the disorder associated with the traumatic event that you want to elaborate and resolve.
Normally the disorder is quite tolerable from the person, who manages to have access enough to be able to start elaboration. But in some situations there is instead the risk that powerful protective defenses emerge that prevent access and contact with the disorder, with the possibility of creating dissociative experiences.
Or people can immerse themselves too much in painful emotions making the balance of the therapeutic process difficult or even ineffective.
The Flash Technique thus was born from the need to find effective ways to facilitate the processing of extremely disturbing memories in the treatment with EMDR, so that the patient does not feel overwhelmed.
A possibility to make therapy effective and tolerable
Clinical research therefore focused on useful strategies for the person preparation phase at work with EMDR. Manfield’s goal was that of “owner” the strongly overwhelming memories, to allow people to tolerate those intense memories without blocking themselves, overwhelmed or dissociated breastfeed.
The term “titration” has a chemical origin, it is a very widespread way in the analysis procedures that consists of dropping a liquid with the dropper, a little at a time.
Among the strategies for the titration of traumatic memories, Manfield was inspired by the technique of the “abbreviated titration” of Krystina Kinowsky (2003) based on the EMDR technique of the pendulum.
In pending patients are encouraged to think of a very positive image and then guided to move from positive thought to think very peripherally of the disturbing memory they want to solve, until they are able to tolerate well the emotion generated by that type of exposure, so that they can then continue with the classic EMDR procedure.
The Flash Tecnique takes shape
After using this technique for many years to be able to effectively use EMDR in complex cases, Manfield has started to experiment with the possibility of making exposure to disturbing memory increasingly short and peripheral.
What emerged is that the reduction of the disorder that is achieved becomes much more pronounced and rapid when exposure to the traumatic memory disorder is shorter.
Phil observed that extremely short exposures to traumatic memories seem to significantly accelerate the elaboration of the brain of traumatic memories, with important reductions in the disturbing levels.
This is what has led to the name “Flash Technique”. In this formulation of the Flash Technique, patients are instructed to think of traumatic memory so briefly that there is no conscious access to images, sensations or associated emotions.
Hypothesis on the mechanisms of action of Falshnique Falshnique
The assumption of the Flash Technique is to not activate the patient and access memory without accessing the disorder.
The memory is made to pass from the long -term memory to the working memory where it arrives and remains consciously for a short time, to remain in an unconscious way while the patient focuses on a positive emotional focus and proceeds with bilateral stimulation.
Around the defenses: subliminal processing
There are several studies that support the principle according to which subliminal exposure or unconscious exposure to feared stimuli can lead to a significant decrease in reactivity in subjects towards the same stimuli.
Paul Siegel (2009) in a rigorous study worked on an exposure to images of spiders of such short duration to such an extent that phobic subjects were unaware of having seen these images.
The results showed that a short exposure that is not verbalizable is more effective in reducing phobia towards spiders than the vision of a less short duration that allows our brain to become aware of it.
In the aforementioned study the effects are long -term and still remain after a year.
The operation carried out by the areas of the brain responsible for the processing of the trauma is in fact altered by the disorder related to the traumatic experience and re -acting by the memory.
These areas responsible for processing are extremely activated during the very short exposure, when the patient is not consciously aware of the exposure and does not feel any disturbance.
This suggests that the areas of the brain that elaborate the trauma can be extremely activated during the Flash Technique, while the person is not perceiving any disturbance and therefore it is less likely that defensive mechanisms are also activated.
A new way to reconsolidate the memories developed in memory
The conscious awareness therefore seems not necessary for processing processes and reconsolidation in memory.
Other studies have made it possible to change knowledge of working memory. Until recently, the working memory was designed to be exclusively conscious.
Recently it has been discovered that, once identified, a memory can be maintained in non -verbalizable form and this memory can be used or modified even outside the awareness (Wong, 2021).
Stimulation of the perspective of the adult observer
The Techinique flash procedure allows the development of an adaptive adult perspective. People are no longer too involved and “observe” what is happening rather than “feeling” what is happening.
From the studies that use functional magnetic resonance imaging (Wong, 2021) we know that the brain elaborates the trauma better when it is not in attack or escape mode.
So, this is a technique that can make the person frightened and can develop better.
“It all starts with an interruption, from an interruption can start again”
Trauma creates an interruption in a person’s psychic life and becomes in the brain a traumatic node around which adaptation methods can be created that can then stiffen and create further problems in the life of the person.
The “flash” and the positive focus are used with the aim of interrupting the traumatic drift. The beating of the eyes is a brief interruption of the positive emotional focus and seems to allow the brain to access briefly and spontaneously to the traumatic memory through the gray substance periacqueduttuale-amigdala-hippocampus, but without the thing of the person (Wong, 2021).
The methodological focus of the Flash Technique is on the possibility of interrupting the recursiveness of the unresolved experience using the movement to another perspective.
Very interesting are also the points of sharing and contact with the action mechanisms and the results of rapid relief of the Dynamic Neurofeedback system Non -linear Neuropmal.
This brain training system based its operation on the use of an interruption to allow the spontaneous and adaptive reorganization of the brain in a method of dynamic interaction with the system.
Future perspectives
Obviously, study studies are still needed both on effectiveness and on the mechanisms of action of the Flash Technique. It is very promising its showing itself as therapeutic method of rapid relief easily usable even in a group.
The Flash Technique is perceived lighter and more delicate, but consistent. Fast, but respectful of brain processing processes.
In a 2021 study published on Frontiers of Psychology (BROUWERS et al.) The Flash Technique showed a short and effective intervention on a par with EMDR in reducing the vividness and disturbing emotions of the traumatic memories, but the flash was evaluated as more pleasant than the MDR.
Bibliography
- BROUWERS ET AL. (2021). The Effects of the Flash Technique appeared to Those of an abbreviated EMDR Therapy Protocol on the Emotionality and Vividness of Aversive Memories. Frontiers in PsychologyVolume 12.
- Manfield, P. & Engel, L. The Flash Technique: An Advance in EMDR Processing. EMDRIA Conference, 2018
- Manfield, P. & Engel, L. Reconsolidation of memory, Flash Technique and EMDR. Basic course (2021) Advanced course (2021). http // studioquintopiano.it
- Manfield, p et al. (2017). Use of Flash Technique in EMDR Therapy: Four Case Example. Journal of Emdr Practice and Research. Volume 11 (4)
- Manfield, P. et al. (2021) Flash Technique in A Scalable Low Intensity Group Interventions for Covid 19 Related Stress in Healthcare Providers. Journal of Emdr Practice and Research. Volume 15, Number 2
- Kinowsky, K. (2003) .put Your Best Foot Forward: AN EMDR – Related Protocol for Empowerment Using Somatosensory and Visual Priming of Resourse Experiences.
- Wong, S. (2021). A Model for the Flash Technique Based on Working Memory and Neuro Science Research. Journal of Emdr Practice and Research. Volume 15, Number 3.
- Siegel, P. (2009). Very Brief Exposure: The Effects of Unreportable Stimuli On Fearful Behavior. Consciousness and cognition. Volume 18.
- Zengar (2018) .neuropeMal Basic Certification Guide.
