The title might be a touch confusing but bear with me here.

At the age of 40 having actually never been drunk this is likely the closest I’ve ever gotten to an actual hangover.

I’m talking about the EMDR hangover, something I didn’t realize was a thing until I experienced it.

11 sessions in and nearing the end of my treatment, this was not something I experienced much at the start. It wasn’t until sessions 9-11 that I started having some seriously weird things start happening.

So sessions 1-8 all I experienced was a very low key headache and a bit of tiredness afterwards, but session 9 saw a real shift for me. During that EMDR session working on a a specific childhood trauma I started yawning uncontrollably and my eyes were streaming, like I was wiping tears from my face (not crying just watering eyes). This continued for the entire session and by the end I was exhausted, you know the kind of exhausted where you don’t know how your even going to get yourself home. I did, I did the must haves (watering the garden, feeding the dogs and putting the guinea pigs to bed) then I crashed. That night I slept so deeply but also dreamt an awful lot, I woke up the next day again exhausted and with more anxiety than I’d felt for weeks.

The anxiety would come in waves, along with the yawning episodes, I went with It, took any pressure off myself and spent a lot of time grounding myself with my hands in soil, my feet on the ground and an easy day. I mentioned this to Nancy my EMDR therapist and she wasn’t surprised by any of it, she stressed again to keep drinking lots and get some rest as it can take up to seven days for the brain to process everything. Over the next few days the weird sleep continued, the yawning continued and I also had a new symptom in more and looser bowel movements. Initially I didn’t relate this to EMDR but this is now a theme following every session.

Confused but equally intrigued I started doing some research in to the different symptoms documented following EMDR and tumbled across something called an ‘EMDR Hangover’. This differs for everyone but it is basically the bodies way of processing suppressed and intense emotions, this can also be known as purging. Purging tends to happen in the following ways:

Emotional Symptoms

• Sudden crying or weeping without a clear reason
• Anger, irritability, or emotional outbursts
• Deep sadness or grief surfacing unexpectedly
• Feelings of guilt, regret, or shame

Physical Symptoms

• Chills or hot flashes
• Fatigue or exhaustion
• Tightness in the chest or throat
• Headaches or muscle tension
• Stomach discomfort or nausea
• Chills or hot flashes
• Vomiting
• Excess Mucus in the nose and/or throat
• Diahorrea/ Bowel movements
• Yawning/sighing

Mental and Cognitive Shifts

• Brain fog or confusion
• Heightened sensitivity to surroundings or people
• Flashbacks or vivid memories
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
• Disassociation

Behavioral Symptoms

• Withdrawing from social interaction
• Sudden need to rest, sleep, or be alone
• Compulsive cleaning, writing, or organizing
• Impulsive crying or laughter

Spiritual Symptoms

• A sense of release or “lightness” after the purge
• Feeling disconnected or disoriented briefly
• Intense self-reflection or identity shifts
• Renewed clarity or emotional resilience after processing

For me personally my symptoms looked like this:

• Excessive yawning episodes
• Watering eyes/tears would stream down my face
• More anxiety
• Huge amounts of fatigue
• Unusual nightmares or restless sleep
• More bowel movements than before
• Shivering or feeling chilled

For someone with pretty severe health anxiety, reading these articles and understanding that the way my body was reacting was really helpful in stopping that panic loop of ‘shit, I’m ill’ ‘whats wrong with me’ because for 2-4 days following EMDR I now remind myself ‘I’m processing stuff’ ‘feeling this way is a great sign it’s working’.

I’m so grateful to have gone on the journey I’ve gone on and found EMDR because I am not the same person I was when I started and it’s been the pivotal modality that has seen an upturn in my physical and mental health.

For anyone embarking on or considering an EMDR journey, do it. Hands down the best thing I’ve ever done for myself

Love and Light as Always

Georgie