EMDR is an eight-phase treatment method. A case report indicating the effectiveness of EMDR is also described. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy (Shapiro, 200) was initially developed in 1987 for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and is guided by the adaptive information processing model (Shapiro 200). EMDR is an individual therapy that is usually given once to twice a week for a total of 6 to 12 sessions, although some people benefit from fewer sessions.
Sessions can be held on consecutive days. In addition to obtaining a complete history and conducting the appropriate evaluation, the therapist and client work together to identify treatment goals. Goals include past memories, current triggers, and future goals. The fifth phase of EMDR is the installation, which strengthens the preferred positive cognition.
The sixth phase of EMDR is the body scan, in which clients are asked to observe their physical response while thinking about the incident and positive cognition, and identify any residual somatic distress. If the customer reports a disturbance, standardized procedures involving the BLS are used to process it. Closure is used to end the session. If the target memory was not fully processed in the session, specific instructions and techniques are used to provide containment and ensure security until the next session.
Mike was a 32-year-old flight doctor who had completed two tours in Iraq. He had been discharged from the Army due to his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and divorced a 2-year-old son. Army psychologist referred Mike for treatment of his PTSD with desensitization therapy and eye movement reprocessing. Counselor and client build trust in this phase, explain the theory and mechanics of EMDR, discuss stop and keep going signals.
As a natural result of the EMDR phases, the client's thoughts, feelings and behavior are indicators of emotional health and resolution, all without talking in detail or doing homework used in other therapies. During the preparation phase, the therapist will explain the theory of EMDR, how it is done, and what the person can expect during and after treatment. All eight phases contribute to the overall effect of EMDR therapy; however, not all phases can be used in an EMDR therapy session. Eye movements comprise only a small part of a larger process that EMDR experts, such as Francine Shapiro, have divided into eight different phases.
EMDR is an eight-phase treatment method used to help combat traumatic experiences and other mental health disorders. The goal of EMDR treatment, in the following phases, is for SUD disturbance scores to decrease while positive belief VOC scores increase. Using the eight-phase step-by-step approach allows the experienced and trained EMDR therapist to maximize the effects of treatment for the client in a logical and standardized way. When ready for the next phases of EMDR therapy, the client will be asked to focus on a specific event.
During this phase of EMDR therapy, a positive belief (“You're safe now) can be introduced to help counter negative emotions caused by trauma. EMDR is a great way to deal with traumatic experiences because this phase does not require an in-depth discussion of past events. Although clients can feel relief almost immediately with EMDR, it is just as important to complete all eight phases of treatment as it is to complete an entire course of antibiotic treatment. In the first phase of EMDR treatment, the therapist performs a complete history of the client and develops a treatment plan.
.
