Re:EMDR and conversion and PTSD

“...how it is a person can have many personalities but one personality can't inhabit many bodies...”

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A cup (body) can hold several marbles simultaneously, though a single marble (individual's personality) can't be in more than one cup at the same time.

The marble analogy excludes trick answers, meta-physics, and shaping of a group to replicate an individual's behaviors (personality). There are limits defined by the principles of physics.

Skepticism is good though it also needs to include introspection and examine its own shortcomings such that it is a tool and not the ultimate goal.

Of course systems, professions, therapeutic approaches, or any of us are not perfect. Dr. Shapiro, Dr. Paulsen, and others describe behaviors and EMDR with the terms they learned through their education leading to a Ph.D. (Philosophy Doctor) degree and that primarily concerned psychological, philosophical (logical), and scientific methods. At times Ph.D.’s may drift into explanations that are more “philosophical” than “scientific.”

EMDR is not “psychiatry” or “medicine” though it is an approach in an associated field (clinical/counseling psychology) and cooperates with those professions.

It is beyond this forum's focus and I don't want to do your research or write a book on the topic, however, medicine, psychology, and the behavioral sciences have done extensive work on the effects of significant positive and negative events on biological, neurological, and psychological functions (thinking, feeling, and behaving).

For example, laboratory experiments have demonstrated that virtually every aspect of functioning can be effected in long-term ways by single events, e.g., a subject is shown an unusual geometric shape and at the same time given one electric shock (represents traumatic events) and in the future the same shape or similar shapes can disrupt normal functioning on a variety of measures until the person “unlearns” the response.

After the “aversive” conditioning samples of responses are measured and found less adaptive (dysfunctions) and the effects can be re-elicited with the same or similar stimuli. Then the “aversive” conditioning can be CHANGED with appropriate re-learning, e.g., counter-conditioning and exposure (or EMDR).

There is a classic example of traumatic conditioning with the case of “Little Albert” that is discussed in introductory psychology courses and the case has been replicated with innumerable variations that may provide some of the evidence of the efficacy that you are seeking.

There have been many abuses of unsuspecting people by all types of professionals and that includes psychotherapists, however, the great majority of LICENSED psychotherapists provide effective assistance as measured by scientific procedures.

Because a psychological principle has been adapted by a “fringe” approach that doesn't invalidate the principle or for that matter make it ineffective in all of its applications, including the ones by the groups that incorporated it.

Replies:

Re:EMDR and conversion and PTSD , by Sandra Paulsen PhD, 02/13/04

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