Re: Lying--An common EMDR problem?

We agree on one thing -- that therapists of all stripes must be alert to the demand characteristics of the situation and to possible sources of deliberate and non-deliberate distortion.

On another matter I must correct you. The only occasions in which an EMDR therapist appropriately asks what trauma someone wants to work on is when traumatic sequelae are the presenting complaint. If someone presents with a trauma-related condition such as PTSD, you bet we ask about the trauma.

If, however someone presents with other symptoms, it would be inappropriate to demand what trauma they want to work on, because there may not be any. In that case, in EMDR training, practitioners are instructed to ask, "what do you want to work on today", or similar language. There is no part of EMDR training that narrows the field to traumas only. Traumas, rather, are the prototypic application of EMDR, because in true traumas, material is held outside of awareness in state-specific form until it is accessed and processed to an adaptive resolution.

I handle this in my initial intake interview, in part, which is structured and comprehensive. At that time, I note the patient's spontaneously reported symptoms and reasons for being there first, and only then ask about the following: medical and psychological history, current family, family history, social history, educational history, occupational history, military and forensic history, substance use history, and trauma history. In this way, trauma is one of many categories which I ask about using permissive language so they can affirm or deny.

In sum, I agree in general with your cautions about therapist demands, and disagree that the problem is in any way indemic to EMDR. It is good for all practitioners to keep the caution in mind.

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