EMDR FORUM ARCHIVE, 2000
Re:Bilateral stimulation
Robert P. O'Brien, Ph.D. · 07/30/00 at 2:22 PM ET
Thanks for your input. The fact that other forms of therapy also produce changes in ptsd does not tell us anything about the role of bilateral stimulation in EMDR. There are many roads that lead to the final pathway of change. There are many schools and theories of psychotherapy, all of which seem to work (in most cases). The theory is not the reason it works, it is just the explanation of what has happened. So, what is the underlying operation of all psychotherapies? I would suggest that all psychotherapy help people/clients/patients process information. That is, the process of psychotherapy is one in which people process or finish processing information. It is the failure to completely process information that leads to what we call psychopathology. IF you look at the different schools of psychotherapy, you can see rather directly how their procedures can be understood as encouraging information processing (information being broadly defined as expereince and our interpretation of it). So, what does this have to do with EMDR and the role of bilateral stimulation (the original question)? Francine has proposed that EMDR produces accelerated information processing. The idea that EMDR somehow accelerates information processing beyond what is "typical" is validated by my experience. That is, theraputic movement happens more quickly when EMDR is used (assuming training and skill on the part of the therapist). That is my experience and is also the findings of a study of EMDR therapists (Lipke, H. 1994, Survey of practitioners trained in EMDR). Given that the bilateral stimulation is probably the most unique element of EMDR (not the only element and bilateral stimulation without the rest of the model does not make a treatment EMDR) it is reasonable to believe that this eliment may be responsible for the acceleration of the information processing. The research is still in its infancy and much more is needed before we can say this with scientific certainty.
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