Re:Excellent Web Site about EMDR Therapy...

http://skepdic.com/emdr.html

The below is from the web site http://skepdic.com/emdr.html and is by Mr. Robert Todd Carroll. It says that Shaprio has said that the eye movement is not necessary to the EMDR process. Is this true?

It also says that a study done using standard EMDR with blind patients whose therapists used tones and hand-snapping instead of finger-wagging..." worked too. Is this also correct?

"...The latest study by Wilson, Becker and Tinker is to be published in The Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. It reports a "significant improvement" in PTSD subjects treated with EMDR. The study also provides significant evidence that spontaneous healing cannot account for this improvement. Nevertheless, the study is unlikely to convince critics that EMDR is the main causal agent in measured improvement of PTSD subjects. I suspect that until a study is done which isolates the eye movement part from other aspects of the treatment, critics will not be satisfied. It may well be that those using EMDR are effecting the cures they claim and thereby benefiting many victims of horrible experiences such as rape, war, terrorism, murder or suicide of a loved one, etc. It may well be that those using EMDR are directing their patients to restructure their memories, so that the horrible emotive aspect of an experience is no longer associated with the memory of the experience. But, for now, the question still remains, whether the rapid eye movement part of the treatment is essential. In fact, one of the control studies cited by Shapiro seems counter-indicative:

In a controlled component analysis study of 17 chronic outpatient veterans, using a crossover design, subjects were randomly divided into two EMDR groups, one using eye movement and a control group that used a combination of forced eye fixation, hand taps, and hand waving. Six sessions were administered for a single memory in each condition. Both groups showed significant decreases in self-reported distress, intrusion, and avoidance symptoms (Pitman et al. 1996).

Maybe hand taps will work just as well as eye movements. According to one EMDR practitioner, Dr. Edward Hume,

...taps to hands, right and left, sounds alternating ear-to-ear, and even alternating movements by the patient can work instead. The key seems to be the alternating stimulation of the two sides of the brain.*

According to Dr. Hume, Shapiro now calls the treatment Reprocessing Therapy and says that eye movements aren't necessary for the treatment! Maybe none of these movements are needed to restructure memory. In short, EMDR is a scientifically controversial technique at present. This has not prevented thousands of practitioners from being certificated to practice EMDR by Shapiro and disciples.

EMDR is controversial and not accepted practice by the American Psychological Association. Advocates disagree, of course...." "

It also says below:

"...Finally, when evidence came in that therapists were getting similar results to standard EMDR with blind patients whose therapists used tones and hand-snapping instead of finger-wagging, Shapiro softened her stance a bit. She admits that eye movement is not essential to eye movement desensitization processing, and claims attacks on her are ad hominem and without merit.

...update (Dec 20,2000): Ranae Johnson has founded the Rapid Eye Institute on a blueberry farm in Oregon where she teaches Rapid Eye Technology. This amazing new therapy is used "to facilitate releasing and clearing of old programming, opening the way to awareness of our joy and happiness." It helps us "find light and spirituality within us that has always been there." Apparently, people are paying some $2,000 for the training and all the blueberries you can eat.

See related entry on thought field therapy. "...

I personally would be interested in any rational discussion here as to the facts above, rather than any proponent of EMDR brushing off the above factual studies as being ad hominem and without merit.

Replies:

Shapiro says eye movement not necessary for EMDR? Works for blind people too?, by , 01/26/03 Re: Shapiro says eye movement not necessary for EMDR? Works for blind people too?, by Sandra Paulsen Inobe, PhD, 01/26/03 Re: Shapiro says eye movement not necessary for EMDR? Works for blind people too?, by Anonymous , 01/26/03 Re: Shapiro says eye movement not necessary for EMDR? Works for blind people too?, by DSM, 01/26/03 Re: Shapiro says eye movement not necessary for EMDR? Works for blind people too?, by Sandra Paulsen Inobe, PhD, 01/26/03 read the archives, by guest, 01/26/03 Re:read the archives? How about a SEARCH ENGINE???, by DSM, 01/27/03 Re:read the archives? How about a SEARCH ENGINE???, by Sandra Paulsen Inobe, PhD, 01/27/03

| Behavior OnLine Home Page | Disclaimer |

Copyright © 1996-2004 Behavior OnLine, Inc. All rights reserved.