An Abortive Treatment for Migraine Headaches

15 © 2008 Springer Publishing Company DOI: 10.1891/1933-3196.2.1.15 This study introduces an integrated eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) treatment for acute migraine headaches. Integrated EMDR has two treatment phases. Phase 1 is designed for the alleviation of acute migraine symptoms. Phase 2 is designed to reduce the frequency, intensity, and duration of future migraine episodes. Phase 2 utilizes the standard EMDR protocol in its entirety. During phase 1, which is the focus of this study, we deviate from the standard EMDR protocol because of the patient’s urgent need for aborting the debilitating pain of acute migraine. In phase 1, the bilateral stimulation (eye movements) is extracted from the standard EMDR protocol to facilitate abortive treatment for migraine. The term integrated EMDR denotes the unique coupling of EMDR with diaphragmatic breathing and cranial compression for migraine-specifi c treatment. The researcher developed this form of EMDR treatment specifi cally to treat migraine. Phase 1 of integrated EMDR sequentially combines diaphragmatic breathing, cranial compression, and eye movements to abort a migraine in progress. Diaphragmatic breathing is utilized in integrated EMDR to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system to begin the relaxation response. Cranial compression is used to help the migraine patient relax certain trigger points around the head. A process of trial and error prior to the study found that each of the methods used independently had some effect in reducing migraine pain. However, these components individually seldom eliminated migraine pain across many patients. The combination of head compression, diaphragmatic breathing, and eye movements consistently led to a higher success rate. It is theorized that it is the synergy of these three components that leads to the amelioration of acute migraine symptoms.