EMDR is presented by its founder [Shapiro] as a method for allowing long delayed learning to take place through as yet unknown neural mechanisms which are triggered by the repetitive eye movements of the procedure. In Stekete and Goldstein's…
Discusses the validity of a study on the efficacy of eye movement desensitization that did not follow the exact principles of EMDR as enunciated by Francine Shapiro.
Rosen argues that the eye movements experienced by Shapiro during the incident leading to her development of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) could not, as she later inferred, have been saccadic. The present author disputes…
Author points out a propensity among some professionals to respond unfairly to data supporting EMDR, and he calls for open-minded critical analysis of available data.
The article reviews 7 experimental studies that examined eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) treatment. The 7 studies varied greatly in their complexity, their designs, how treatment effects were measured, and their results. Each…
Argues that the utility of EMDR as a treatment for PTSD and other disorders is not compromised because the technique is not grounded in established theory.
The authors take as specific exemplars two of the popularized "power therapies" -- eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and thought field therapy (TFT) -- to demonstrate the influence of pseudoscience in the contemporary trauma…
In his commentary on my article comparing Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) with animal magnetism therapy, Greenwald (this issue) expresses several criticisms. Unable to refute a single factual statement, he resorts to attacking my…
Our goals are as follows: (a) to propose what we believe is a reasonable context within which to evaluate data pertinent to EMDR; (b) to examine how the evidence fits within an evaluation of the more general treatment outcome literature on PTSD; (c)…
Argues that present-day scientific knowledge is inadequate to warrant the existence of a fully developed therapeutic approach based on eye movements or any other dual-attention task.
In summary, we submit that the evidence cited by Lipke in support of the proposal that eye movements contribute to treatment outcome does not meet the burden of proof. Specifically, eye movements and other laterally alternating stimuli have not been…
EMDR is an active psychological treatment for PTSD that has received widely divergent reactions from the scientific and professional community. This article examines points of confusion in the published literature on EMDR, including the theoretical,…
Recently a letter by Dr. Corydon Hammond appeared in The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis Newsletter regarding a technique developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro termed Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). The authors report that…
A recent review [by Rubin] summarized research studies investigating EMDR treatment of PTSD. Rubin identified populations in which there has been insufficient research to determine what treatments, if any, are effective, and he articulated questions…
This response to McNally challenges the notion that scientific controversy should be waged with smear tactics. McNally's anti-EMDR conclusions are contested as premature and based on red herrings, selective neglect of the literature, and erroneous…
Argues that Devilly misrepresented the outcome of several studies of the effectiveness of EMDR. [FAL] A comment on: Grant J. Devilly, "The influence of distraction during exposure and researcher allegiance during outcome trials", The Behavior…
Comments on R. Greenwald's (see record 83-27577) article in which he argues that fidelity to the eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) protocol is the critical factor that determines whether a treatment outcome study will show that…
Welch's (Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 27, 175-179, 1996) response to Rosen's (Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 26, 121-122, 1995) limited study on the origin of eye movement desensitization and…
The development of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) has been marked by an emphasis on research, beginning with its introduction by a controlled study in 1989. However, misconceptions regarding the method abound. A recent…
Francine Shapiro, the founder of eye movement desensitization therapy (EMD) claims to have serendipitously discovered this technique by experiencing spontaneous saccadic eye movements in response to disturbing thoughts during a walk in the woods.…
EMDR produces extraordinarily rapid results. Therapists across the country are reporting success with Vietnam veterans, incest victims and other survivors of trauma. This article describes its successful use in curing sexual problems attributed to…
The Maxfield, Lake, and Hyer acerbic attack on my review is filled with fallacies and inaccurate and unwarranted accusations that deflect attention away from the main issue pertaining to the insufficient evidence base for current claims that EMDR is…
The role of eye movements in EMDR therapy is not yet clear. However, it is clear that Hembree and Foa's uncritical report of evidence nonsupportive of the importance of eye movement, or other sensory/motor activity in EMDR, suggests this is a closed…
Pitman et al. recently published a pair of studies on the relationship between indicators of emotional processing and outcome in flooding therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. Among their conclusions, they asserted…
With burgeoning interest in trauma has come a proliferation of interventions for the treatment of intrusive memories. At this stage of development, uniformity of clinical practice in the trauma field is neither possible nor desirable. The literature…
Rosen, Lohr, McNally and Herberts (1998) arguments directed at the so-called Power Therapies and, in particular, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) are examined. It is suggested that their paper does not adequately review the…
Asserts that EMDR's demonstrated efficacy justifies its therapeutic use even though its therapeutic credibility has not been scientifically established.
