Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing

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Abstract The treatment, eye movement desensitisation reprocessing is an effective way for treating post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder is when an individual has witnessed or personally experienced a traumatic event. The effective treatment helps treat the individual by unblocking the processing system that processes and stores experiences and memories adequately. When an individual experiences post-traumatic stress disorder the system does not work adequately. The study of 80 participants that were assigned to treatment or delayed treatment supported that eye movement desensitisation reprocessing is an effective way as the participants symptoms decreased after 3 treatment sessions. The study of 67 participants also…show more content…
Anxiety can become a problem when it is at a high level and affecting the individual’s concentration and the ability to perform. This is when an anxiety disorder may be present as it is has a serious impact on daily life. There are six different types of anxiety disorders and people can have one or more anxiety disorders at any one time. One disorder is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is when an individual has witnessed or personally experienced a traumatic event, which they experience continual fear and intense memories (Shapiro, 1989). An effective treatment of PTSD must require some form of exposure to the traumatic cues to overcome avoidance behaviour and allow for desensitisation (Spector & Huthwaite, 1993). This essay will give evidence that the treatment discovered by Shapiro is eye movement desensitisation reprocessing (EMDR) is an effective treatment for treating post-traumatic stress disorder. The process includes thinking of the traumatic event while using multi-saccadic eye movements for the thoughts to be less upsetting. Two studies that look at the effectiveness of EMDR compared to other treatments are good examples of how EMDR is an effective…show more content…
(Wilson & Becker & Tinker, 1995) A traumatic memory was defined as stressful event that continues to affect the individual to suffer from PTSD symptoms. The study included 40 female and 40 male participants that were randomly assigned to treatment or delayed treatment condition to one to five licensed therapists trained in EMDR. The procedure proceeded like normal including six phases: preparation, baseline assessment, desensitisation, installation of the positive cognition, body scan and closure. The preparation phases included the participant and therapist to discuss the traumatic event and asked to formulate an image that provided the participant with feeling of calm and safety. During baseline assessment the participant was asked to describe the trauma, visualize a picture of it, think of a negative cognition, the emotions, the physical sensation and rate their distress using the SUD scale, while the therapist engaged the participant in eye movements. Once the SUDS reach to zero-three and the participant could focus on the image and have a positive cognition, the therapist took measures on SUDS scales. The results supported that EMDR is an effective treatment for PTSD as it decreased the symptoms and anxiety associated with the traumatic memory. The effectiveness of the treatment was demonstrated in the three 90-minute treatment sessions and the effects were maintained at

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