A comparison of eye movement desensitization and implosion-like therapy with adult victims of sexual abuse

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing is a recently developed technique that has been reported in the literature to be effective in treating many of the symptoms associated with PTSD. This study investigated the role of saccadic eye movements in this technique by utilizing a multiple-baseline, across subjects design with 4 adult victims of childhood sexual abuse.Eye movement desensitization conditions (EMD) were compared to non saccadic eye movement conditions (NM) utilizing a Latin square design over one treatment session. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID-R) and the PTSD module of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III (SCID) were used for initial diagnosis and screening. Treatment effectiveness between the intervention phase and 1 week follow-up was assessed using the Impact of Event Scale (IES) and the PTSD Symptom Checklist. Skin conductance response (SCR), heart rate, and subjective units of distress (SUDS) were assessed during pretreatment, treatment, posttreatment, and follow-up phases. Results showed no significant differences across subjects among SCR, heart rate, and SUDS between the EMD and NM conditions. IES and PTSD Symptom Checklist follow-up data showed symptom improvement for 3 of the 4 subjects. One subject's intrusive symptoms worsened. All subjects displayed less physiological reactivity to the traumatic imagery at follow-up. Mechanisms that contribute to the effectiveness of EMD and recommendations for future study were discussed.

Dissertation/Thesis

English

Philip Russell Oncley, Jr.

Oncley, P. R. (1992). A comparison of eye movement desensitization and implosion-like therapy with adult victims of sexual abuse. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B. Sciences and Engineering, 53(9), 4964