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The only thing that anyone can ever really feel fear about is being made to feel bad and not having the power to keep that from happening. – Abraham Hicks |
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EMDR uses specific psychotherapeutic procedures to:
1. Access existing information
2. Introduce new information
3. Facilitate information processing
4. Inhibit accessing of information. (Lipke, 1999)
EMDR is used within an 8-phase approach to treatment of trauma. (Shapiro, 1995, 2001) These phases ensure sufficient stabilization and reevaluation before, during and after the processing of distressing or traumatic memories and their associated stimuli.
A three pronged basic treatment protocol is used. First, the past events are addressed. After adaptive resolution of past events, current stimuli that are still capable of evoking distress are processed. Finally, future situations are processed to prepare for potential circumstances.
Unique to EMDR are both the specific procedural steps used to access and process information and the ways in which sensory stimulation is incorporated into well-defined treatment procedures and protocols.
Hypothesis of the EMDR Model
Within each person is a physiological information processing system through which new experiences and information are normally processed.
Information is stored in memory networks that contain related thoughts, images, emotions and sensations.
Memory networks are organized around the earliest related event.
Traumatic experiences and persistent unmet interpersonal needs during crucial periods in development can product blockages in the adaptive processing system. This causes us to not be able to resolve distressing or traumatic events.
When information stored in memory networks related to a distressing or traumatic experience is not fully processed, it gives rise to dysfunctional reactions.
The result of adaptive processing is learning, relief of emotional distress, understanding and being able to access adaptive responses.
Information processing is facilitated by specific types of bilateral sensory stimulation. (Shapiro, 1994)
Alternating left-right, bilateral eye movements, tones and kinesthetic stimulation using EMDR may enhance information processing.
Specifically, focused strategies for stimulating access to information stored dysfunctionally generally needs to be combined with bilateral stimulation to produce adaptive information processing.
EMDR procedures foster a state of dual attention between internally accessed information and external bilateral stimulation. In this state a person simultaneously experiences the distressing memory and the present context.
Combining EMDR procedures and bilateral stimulation results in decreasing the vividness of the disturbing memory images and their effects. This gives access to more adaptive information and forges new associations in the memory networks.
Research:
Of all the psychotherapies for the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), EMDR has been the most widely studied.
A number of controlled studies (Marcus, Marquis & Sakai, 1997; Rothbaum, 1997, Scheck, Schaeffer & Gilette, 1998; Wilson, Becker & Tinker, 1995; Wilson, Becker & Tinker, 1997) have shown that EMDR is an effective treatment for civilian (non-combat) PTSD,
As review of the scientific research conducted by a group of individuals and established by the American Psychological Association Division 12 Task Froce (Chambless, et al., 1998) identified EMDR as one of the three “probably efficacious treatments” for civilian PTSD. This designation specifies interventions which were “beneficial for patients or clients in well-controlled treatment studies”.
A meta-analysis by Van Etten & Taylor (1998) looking at 59 studies of PTSD treatments indicated that EMDR and behavior therapy were both effective for reducing the symptoms of PTSD. However, with EMDR treatment time was found to be shorter than for behavioral therapy (5 hours versus 15 hours).
Controlled studies have shown that EMDR is effective in treating phobias based on upsetting experiences (de Jongh & ten Broeke, 1998; de Jongh, ten Broeke & Renssen, 1999) in reducing stress in law enforcement employees (Wilson, Logan, Becker and Tinker, 1999) and in helping to reduce the distress experienced in traumatized children (Greenwald, 1994; Puffer, Greenwald & Elrod, 1998). In one study children who had not responded to another trauma treatment (Chemtob, Nakashima & Carlson, 2001) had a positive response to EMDR treatment.
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EMDR Method 