Eye movements and emotional memory images (EMIs): Unravelling the path to adult health from childhood adversity

Abstract

Background:Subtle eye movements offer a valuable yet underexplored window into how individuals encode and retrieve emotional memories, particularly in the context of psychological trauma.
Objective:To offer a perspective on the interrelationship among eye movements, nonconscious mental representations formed during emotionally intense or traumatic experiences (Emotional Memory Images [EMIs]), and adult health sequelae associated with childhood adversity.
Study design:A synthesis of clinical and theoretical insights, along with interdisciplinary literature, to advance conceptual understanding.
Method:A selective and interpretive study of peer-reviewed literature was conducted, drawing on sources from psychology, neuroscience, and trauma studies. The authors employed contextual analysis and integrative synthesis to develop a conceptual framework linking EMIs, eye movements, and stress-related adult health outcomes, stemming from childhood adversity.Results:This article identified a theoretical link between EMIs and stress response, mediated by the amygdala and observable subtle ocular cues. These cues may serve as indicators of unresolved trauma and potential targets for therapeutic intervention. The Split-Second Unlearning (SSU) framework is proposed as a novel approach for identifying trauma-related health outcomes in adults with a history of childhood adversity, offering a potential and novel targeted therapeutic means for disrupting the automatic stress responses associated with EMIs.
Conclusion:This article advances the understanding of EMIs by highlighting the role of eye movements in stress-related neural processes. It proposes that decoding subtle oculomotor cues may enhance trauma-informed interventions, particularly in adults with a history of childhood adversity.

Keywords

Eye Movements / Emotional Memory Images / Childhood Adversity / Split-Second Unlearning / Complex Trauma / Psychophysiological Disease

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Matt Hudson: Writing -original draft, Conceptualization. Nazish I. Chaudhary: Writing -review & editing. Mark I. Johnson: Writing -review & editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Ethics approval

Not applicable.

Funding

None

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organisations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Data availability

Not Applicable.

Declaration of Competing Interest

MH was employed by Mind Help Limited. MH is the co-founder and co-creator of the MindReset app, which is supported by individual subscribers. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process

During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors occasionally used Microsoft Copilot powered by GPT-4 (a GPT-4-turbo variant) for refining the grammar, syntax, and overall readability, ensuring clarity and accessibility for a broader audience. The authors have thoroughly reviewed and edited the manuscript and take full responsibility for the content of this publication.

Acknowledgments

We thank Lisa Hudson (Mind Help Limited) for assistance in preparing the manuscript.

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