Effects of a single session of EMDR, flooding, and a credible placebo treatment on traumatic memories in male veterans

This study explored the effectiveness of a single session of three different treatments for traumatic memories. Subjects were 45 adult males, randomly assigned to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Flooding, or Placebo therapy (Modified Avoidance Response Conditioning [ MARC]). Self-report and physiological measures were employed to measure treatment effectiveness. Subjects completed the following pre-treatment inventories: Michigan Alcohol Screening Test, Impact of Event Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Questionnaire on Mental Imagery, and the Treatment Credibility Questionnaire. Post-treatment measures included self-report measures (Subjective Units of Distress [ SUDs] and Treatment Credibility Questionnaire) and physiological measures (heart rate, skin conductance, and skin temperature). Treatments were rated as equally credible before and after the session. Both EMDR and Flooding produced a significant decrease in the self-report of anxiety compared to the Placebo (MARC) group. Neither heart rate or skin conductance channels showed a significant change for any of the three groups during post-treatment assessment phases. However, skin temperature was significantly lower for the Flooding group compared to the MARC group during two post-treatment phases, suggesting that the Flooding group was more physiologically aroused than Placebo (MARC) subjects. Findings suggest that during Flooding, exposure to disturbing elements of a trauma is associated with physiological arousal, which in turn leads to lessening of subjective distress. However, a different mechanism may account for EMDR treatment effects.

Dissertation/Thesis

English

Sandra Lynn Nettz

Nettz, S. L. (1996, July). Effects of a single session of EMDR, flooding, and a credible placebo treatment on traumatic memories in male veterans. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Illinois)