EMDR FORUM ARCHIVE, 2000
Re:Bilateral stimulation
Robert P. O'Brien, Ph.D. · 07/29/00 at 5:34 PM ET
For me the idea of information being "stuck" is a metaphor rather than a neurological assessment. Most of the PTSD patients I see use this word in their description of the phenomenology of PTSD ("Somehow, it's like these memories are stuck in my head or something, I can't forget them, I can't get them out of my mind, they just pop up and then I have to relive them again."). These patients are repeatedly told to "get over it" or to "forget about it" or to "let it go" (this by well meaning friends and even some therapists I know), which does not, of course, help. Successful EMDR usually produces the experience that "its over now." There is often a perplexed look on the face and sometimes even a frank giggle or laugh. The event is not fogotten, but rather put it its place as an historical event, tragic as it may have been, but no longer present in nightmares or flashbacks. I suspect that if/when we are able to measure the associated brain funtions (as sophisticated as we are in the neurosciences and neuroimaging, we are not there yet) that we will be able to demonstrate the neurological changes that produce this effect. There is some fascinating work being done with EMDR and phantom limb pain that shows that EMDR is quite effective in eliminating phantom limb pain AND that this change is reflected in very sophisticated neuro-imaging measurements. This is still in its infancy, but seems to hold some promise as a way of demonstrating the neurologic consequences of EMDR. As an aside, there are a variety of psychotherapy techniques that have proven helpful to patients with PTSD. While my experience with EMDR has been positive and while the changes I see in my patients when I use EMDR occurr more quickly than when I use other techniques, I would expect that the other techniques would also show the same changes in neurologic processing (if or when we can record them). The technique is simply a means to an end (the changes that provide relief for patients with PTSD)and would NOT be limited to EMDR.
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