Traumatic memories, eye movements, phobia, and panic: a critical note on the proliferation of EMDR.
نویسندگان
چکیده
In the past years, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has become increasingly popular as a treatment method for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The current article critically evaluates three recurring assumptions in EMDR literature: (a) the notion that traumatic memories are fixed and stable and that flashbacks are accurate reproductions of the traumatic incident; (b) the idea that eye movements, or other lateralized rhythmic behaviors have an inhibitory effect on emotional memories; and (c) the assumption that EMDR is not only effective in treating PTSD, but can also be successfully applied to other psychopathological conditions. There is little support for any of these three assumptions. Meanwhile, the expansion of the theoretical underpinnings of EMDR in the absence of a sound empirical basis casts doubts on the massive proliferation of this treatment method.
منابع مشابه
The impact of eye movements and tones on disturbing memories involving PTSD and other mental disorders.
BACKGROUND A wide array of experimental studies are supportive of a working memory explanation for the effects of eye movements in EMDR therapy. The working memory account predicts that, as a consequence of competition in working memory, traumatic memories lose their emotional charge. METHOD This study was aimed at investigating (1) the effects of taxing the working memory, as applied in EMDR...
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ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- Journal of anxiety disorders
دوره 13 1-2 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 1999