Making sense of EMDR: Efficacy of EMDR and the application of Horowitz's control process theory to a psychological analysis of EMDR psychotherapy

Originally a technique that seemed to desensitize disturbing memories, EMDR is now a full-scale protocol that is being used to treat a wide-range of disorders. Even its proponents acknowledge, however, that the mechanism of action in EMDR is still unknown. It is argued that there has been an over-emphasis on neurophysiological explanations of EMDR. After a review of controlled studies and a discussion of proposed mechanisms, two case studies of EMDR therapy (one child and one adult) with pathological grief are presented. The cases are analyzed for their adaptive changes as this term is applied in Horowitz's control process theory (1992). It is argued that Horowitz's theory represents a theoretical foundation by which a psychological understanding of the EMDR psychotherapy process can be achieved.

Dissertation/Thesis

English

Charles Gallagher

Gallagher, C. (2004). Making sense of EMDR: Efficacy of EMDR and the application of Horowitz's control process theory to a psychological analysis of EMDR psychotherapy. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 65(5-B), 2625