EMDR FORUM ARCHIVE, 2000
Re:Bilateral stimulation
TMJ · 07/26/00 at 12:19 ET
Dr. Bergmann, First, let me say that I found your comments intelligent and informative. I also agree with you, that at the very most, one could say that the evidence would possibly signify further investigating the increased effectiveness of adding a "sensory stimulation" component to PTSD treatment. Of course, as you note, the "bilateral stimulation" prescription does not seem to be necessary from past research. However, I have a question: Wouldn't it first be best to demonstrate the incremental efficacy of sensory stimulation components such as eye movements before further speculating on how they would work? In fact, several of the best studies on this topic (i.e., component analyses) to date have shown no additional value of bilateral stimulation in the treatment. Therefore, I think it would be premature to try to discover *how* EMs work before we have demonstrated *that* they works. To restate the important point that you made, I also would warn against possibly mixing up causes with effects. What Van der Kolk's research showed was different brain activity before and after EMDR treatment. However, he did not have a comparison group (e.g., patients treated with a CBT protocol), or even a simple control group (e.g., wait list control), to demonstrate that these changes have something specifically due to EM, as you note. The problem is that symptom reduction by any means would probably result in neuroimaging differences at post. Therefore, Van der Kolk's research does not necessarily show anything astonishing, and does not at this point provide neurological evidence for EMs. Furthermore, perhaps you could comment on the statements by some on this message board that traumatic memories are "stuck" in one hemisphere and "good" memories are housed in the other, with bilateral stimulation allowing both hemispheres to be stimulated, resulting in a faster "digestion" of the trauma. I find these concepts at odds with our scientific understanding of cognitive neuroscience. Thank you.
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