Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing

(EMDR)THE END OF THE “BAD DREAM”?

Victoria Pomparelli PSY-4100 Fall 2015

The History of EMDR“I discovered the effects of the eye movements that are now used in EMDR therapy one day as I was taking a walk. I noticed that disturbing thoughts I had been having had disappeared and when I brought them back they didn’t have the same “charge.” I was puzzled since I hadn’t done anything deliberately to deal with them.”

-Francine Shapiro

What is it?

•Exactly what it says!

•Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing•Movements of eye help to activate reprocessing in the brain

How does it work?•We don’t really know!

•“We believe that EMDR induces a fundamental change in brain circuitry similar to what happens in REM sleep — that allows the person undergoing treatment to more effectively process and incorporate traumatic memories into general association networks in the brain. This helps the individual integrate and understand the memories within the larger context of his or her life experience.”

-Robert Stickgold, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School

How does it work?•Therapist assesses the disorder that needs treatment•Client-based•30 second sets of eye movements•Brain associations and neural connections•Usually done in REM sleep

•Reprocess the disturbing memory•Due to resolution done during REM

How is it done?

The Phases of EMDR

8 Stages as directed by Francine Shapiro

Stage 1

Patient HistoryLet’s get to know one another!

What’s wrong?What can we work on?

Stage 2 Safe Place Identification

What makes you feel safe? If needed, used for upsetting sessions

Stage 3 Snapshot

What is the target memory we’ll be focusing on? This will be used as our negative cognition or NC. Now, what will be our positive cognition or PC?

Stage 4 EMDR

Focus on the NC and disturbing emotion or sensation. Follow the moving object from side to side.

Through sets of eye movements, what do you feel or see? How does that feel?

Stage 5 Installation

Does the PC still work? Do we need another PC?

Let’s try new sets of eye movements.

Stage 6

Body scan

Is there any pain, stress or discomfort?

Stage 7

Debriefing

Support time!

Stage 8

Re-evaluation

Has the disturbing event been reprocessed?

EMDR VIDEO EMDR

Who does it help?Personality disordersEating disordersPanic attacksAnxietyGriefStressBody dysmorphiaSexual and physical abuse

Most of all,

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome

•Almost 70 percent of Americans will be exposed to a traumatic event in their lifetime.

• 20 percent will go on to develop PTSD

Before EMDR Patient Brain Scan After 40 EMDR Sessions Patient Brain Scan

How common is EMDR?

•More than 20 controlled clinical trials of EMDR therapy have now been completed and reported.

•Tens of thousands of clinicians have been trained in EMDR.

Can we find practitioners nearby?

YES! Phyllis P. Marganoff

◦Marganoff Link Laura Kogan- Princeton, NJ

◦Kogan Link