EMDR Adaptive Information Processing Model 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the AIP model, what happens to traumatic memories that have NOT been adequately processed?
- They are permanently erased from the brain
- They are stored in a dysfunctionally isolated memory network (Correct answer)
- They are automatically integrated into positive memory networks
- They are transferred to long-term declarative memory
Correct answer: They are stored in a dysfunctionally isolated memory network
Unprocessed traumatic memories remain frozen in dysfunctionally isolated networks, retaining their original disturbing sensory, emotional, and cognitive elements.
Question 2: Which term does Shapiro use to describe the innate system the AIP model posits drives healing from trauma?
- Neuroplasticity cascade
- Adaptive information processing system (Correct answer)
- Somatic integration network
- Cognitive restructuring module
Correct answer: Adaptive information processing system
Shapiro's AIP model proposes an innate adaptive information processing system that, when functioning properly, naturally moves disturbing experiences toward a healthy resolution.
Question 3: How does the AIP model explain intrusive PTSD symptoms like flashbacks?
- They result from conscious attempts to remember trauma
- They are signs of secondary gain behavior
- They are triggered activations of unprocessed memory networks (Correct answer)
- They indicate a neurological seizure disorder
Correct answer: They are triggered activations of unprocessed memory networks
Flashbacks occur when current stimuli trigger the frozen, unprocessed memory network, replaying the original sensory and emotional experience as if it were happening again.
Question 4: According to the AIP model, what role do negative cognitions play in trauma?
- They are learned behaviors reinforced after the trauma
- They are stored within the dysfunctionally frozen memory network (Correct answer)
- They are defense mechanisms created by the ego
- They originate solely from childhood attachment failures
Correct answer: They are stored within the dysfunctionally frozen memory network
Negative cognitions such as 'I am powerless' are encoded within the frozen traumatic memory network and are accessed whenever that network is activated.
Question 5: In AIP theory, what is the significance of 'associative linkages' between memory networks?
- They allow new traumas to overwrite old ones automatically
- They enable therapeutic processing to spread healing to related memories (Correct answer)
- They prevent the therapist from accessing traumatic content
- They are pathological connections that must be severed
Correct answer: They enable therapeutic processing to spread healing to related memories
Associative linkages allow adaptive information from one processed memory to spread to related networks, enabling generalization of therapeutic gains across similar experiences.
Question 6: Which physiological state does the AIP model associate with the blocking of normal memory consolidation during trauma?
- Parasympathetic dominance and deep relaxation
- High arousal or extreme stress overwhelming normal processing (Correct answer)
- Hypnagogic states just before sleep
- Voluntary suppression of emotional responses
Correct answer: High arousal or extreme stress overwhelming normal processing
Extreme stress and high arousal during a traumatic event overwhelm the information processing system, preventing normal consolidation and leaving the memory in a dysfunctional state.
Question 7: The AIP model suggests that successful EMDR processing results in memories being stored in a way that is most similar to:
- Complete amnesia for the event
- Ordinary autobiographical memories with reduced emotional charge (Correct answer)
- Highly vivid sensory recordings with neutral valence
- Procedural motor memories unrelated to narrative
Correct answer: Ordinary autobiographical memories with reduced emotional charge
After EMDR processing, traumatic memories become integrated like ordinary autobiographical memories—accessible but no longer emotionally overwhelming or intrusive.
EMDR Adaptive Information Processing Model 2
In the AIP model, what happens to traumatic memories that have NOT been adequately processed?