Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing Paper

In his article, Creamer discusses and differentiates how civilian and veteran cases of PTSD are treated. He also discusses the details of PTSD and the treatments and classifications of it. This article receives its credibility by being published in the popular medical journal called the “International Review of Psychiatry”.

William Harrar went into private practice in 1991 and continues to maintain a private practice. He provides professional consultations to other therapists and consults at local psychiatric units as well. He also provides psychotherapy to individuals, couples, and families. Dr. Harrar’s emphasis is brief treatments, especially treatments utilizing EMDR. His expertise in EMDR has afforded him as an approved consultant and certified therapist with the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing International Association (EMDRIA). Dr. Harrar also facilitates at national EMDR Institute trainings.

This paper will examine, compare and contrast Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) in the case of Joe, a fictional client with post-traumatic stress disorder from two tours of combat duty as a Marine Corps sniper in the Middle East, without the use of psychotropic medications. EMDR uses side-to-side eye movements in a one-on-one session with a clinician while the client focuses on a distressing memory until he or she reports reduced symptomology or no psychological distress; the clinician then has the client think of positive thoughts while continuing the exercises. EMDR has been the target of debate over its effectiveness, with some scholars suggesting that it is the “rewiring” of the brain that is most beneficial. CPT is often used when other processes of recovery fail. Therapy, administered individually or in a group, initially focuses on misconstrued beliefs of denial and self-blame for the traumatic incident and then addresses beliefs the client has about himself and the world in general. CPT uses talk therapy and worksheets with the goal of the client learning to make sense of what happened and fit it in with the beliefs about themselves and others. Findings suggest that each therapy has its advantages and which is best depends on how responsive the client is to each mode and the therapeutic alliance between the client and therapist.

I. Theoretical and Research Basis for Treatment While working with Precious it has become clear that she has gone through a number of traumas as a child and up until her young adulthood. Precious, dealing with both sexual and physical abuse, has come a long way in wanting to seek treatment and actually wanting to move past her previous traumas. Relevant treatment choices for Precious would be Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Trauma focused cognitive behavior therapy Exposure therapy Cognitive Processing Therapy Integrative treatment of complex trauma for adolescents.

Observations are completed by senior therapists of the new therapists or therapists who are beginning a new type of intervention after recent certification. This would include a certification for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). The intervention is used in trauma. After the therapist completes the required training they will need to receive case supervision by a credentialed EMDR therapist as well as group supervision to discuss the cases. There

Millions of people each year flee their country in order to escape persecution and conflict, seeking asylum as a refugee (Amnesty International Australia 2011). Many refugees present with and develop mental illness due to having experienced or witnessing events such as rape, torture, war, imprisonment, murder, physical injury and genocide, before fleeing their homes (Nicholl & Thompson 2004). Refugees are now accessing mental health services for the treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) defined by DSM-IV-TR is “characterised by the re-experiencing of an extremely traumatic event accompanied by symptoms of increased arousal and by avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma” (Diagnostic and

Treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder is possible. The current treatment of PTSD encompasses several types of psychotherapy combined with a medication regimen. Cognitive therapy is one type of therapy used to combat PTSD. The goal of cognitive therapy is to allow the patient to slowly experience feelings, thoughts, and events associated with the trauma in a controlled setting. This allows the PTSD sufferer, to categorize the traumatic feelings associated with the event and assign a more positive meaning to them. Thus providing a coping mechanism. Another school of thought places the therapeutic focus on gradually exposing the PTSD sufferer to elements of the trauma. The goal is to desensitize the patient to the traumatic event. This allows the patient to resume a normal life. One other form of therapy used in treatment of PTSD is EMDR. EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a form of exposure therapy that places the emphasis on guided eye movements. The theory is that the movements help retrain how the brain reacts to memories of the traumatic event. Success has

As stated by the name of this particular EBP, the focus is on cognition in those with PTSD. Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a form of the well-known cognitive behavioral therapy. For this particular therapy, the clients taking part are older adolescents and adults (18-55+) who have a PTSD diagnosis (SAMHSA, 2014). The preliminary focus on CPT is to look at the distorted thoughts about the trauma experienced by the client. Beliefs such as self-blame and denial are initial conative focus, then therapy moves on to looking at the clients how the clients think themselves, others, and the world (Resick, Nishith, Weaver, Astin, & Feuer, 2002). Clients who are undergoing this therapy use of worksheets and what is known as “Socratic questioning” (Resick,

EMDR therapy, EMDR uses an eight-phase approach, referring to the past, present, and future aspects of the traumatic experience, and dysfunctional stress stored memories. The first Phase calls History and Treatment Planning. In this phase the therapist listens the patient's history and develops a treatment plan. In Phase II, the preparation, the therapist teaches the patient how to calm down him/herself with the help of relaxation techniques. The phase III is Assessment in which the therapist asks the patient to visualize the image of the disturbing event, then asks him/her to develop a positive cognition associating with that image. In Phase IV, Desensitization, the patient  focuses on the disturbing memories during short sessions of 15-30 seconds. At the same time, he/she also focuses on the alternative stimulation such as directed eye movements, slapping hands, or voices. This process repeats  many times until the patient's reaction to the target memory becomes less distressed. In Phase V, Installation, the therapist again with the use of bilateral stimulation asks the patient to remember the event about which the positive cognition is developed in the phase III, and makes sure that

I would also utilize eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, which is commonly used for individuals suffering from post traumatic

According to Sharf, (2008) the eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) was designed to treat posttraumatic stress disorder. EMDR requires that the clients visualize an upsetting memory and accompanying physical sensations. The clients repeat negative self-statements that they associate with the scene. The procedure is repeated again and again until the client’s anxiety is reduced. EMDR focuses on desensitizing strong emotional reasons in clients and help them to reframe their belief systems to accommodate new emotional states (Sharf, 2008).

For some patients with excessively traumatic experiences, the following preparation stage will last longer than the 1 to 4 sessions that most patients take. In the preparation phase, the therapist has to build a trustful relationship with the client in order to help establish appropriate expectations for the patient during the treatment. Since EMDR therapy does not require the patient to completely confide in the therapist her experiences, a therapeutic relationship between client and clinician is very important. Otherwise, the following sessions and treatments would be misdiagnosed since the patient’s statements to the therapist may not be completely true. After they establish a connection, the theory, procedures, and expectations of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy is clarified by the clinician to the patient. Also explained to the patient is the concept of Bilateral Stimulation (BLS), oscillating eye movements, sounds, and sensations. BLS aids the left and

When working with clients in today’s society it’s extremely important to take into consideration the specific needs of each individual. Serious contemplation is given to the approaches and methods regarding the client’s need and presenting matters. Trauma appears in many forms in society, even from the 1960’s due to the impact on returning soldiers from war. Since this, trauma has been categorised and widely researched leading to numerous theories. Psychotherapies were one of the first approaches to be founded in the 1970’s, which were the foundations to counselling

EMDR has weaknesses and debated for being controversial due to it being difficult to support the signature aspect of the therapy, namely alternating eye movements as actually necessary to the treatment (McLay et al., 2016, p. 702). Eye movements and cognitive reprocessing which are deemed by EMDR as essential failed to make a unique contribution to the outcome of therapy (Rubin, 2002, p. 14). According to the Prochaska & Norcross, “The eye movements are only one form of bilateral stimulation and may not be required for the therapeutic effect” (2014, p. 211). Hand taps and repetition of auditory cues are other alternate stimuli which can be used instead of eye movements. Early claims were made about EMDR having almost magical results that only one session of EMDR could provide treatment for clients (McLay et al., 2016, p. 702; Prochaska & Norcross, 2014, p. 210). Furthermore, EMDR could be viewed as a simple variant of exposure therapy with a gimmick in marketing the therapy as something new (Rubin, 2002, p. 12). According to Perkins & Rouanzoin (2002), “EMDR is best explained by learning processes that subsume exposure and cognitive-behavioral treatments” (p. 80). EMDR has not been proven effective outside of PSTD.

In this paper the therapies related to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) will be studied in order to determine the applicability thereof for the treatment (and prevention) of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD will be summarised as described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders edition 4 with revisions (DSM-IV-TR). The therapy models, their theory and techniques will be discussed. The therapies this paper has in scope are, CBT, Exposure therapy and it’s different related techniques, Stress Inoculation Training (SIT), and Eye Movement Desensitisation