Why and how to use ‘in vivo exposure’ in EMDR

An important feature of PTSD is that it is not very likely that the same traumatic event will ever happen again. Accordingly, if a client has been raped and succesfully been treated with EMDR, generally not many clinicians will feel the urge to prepare this client for a next rape. Conversely, in a number of cases (particularly phobic conditions) the client does have to anticipate future situations in which fear evoking stimuli are present; and where he will have to interact with these. For example, if a person who suffered from a dental phobia has been successfully treated for his phobia, it is likely that he will still have to undergo invasive dental work, such as injections, root canal treatments, or extractions. This has implications for treatment. As a result of the successful application of the EMDR basic protocol, the likelihood or severity of the initial threat may have been reappraised, and the incident that initially felt traumatic may have been reattributed to an innocuous event. Yet, it is possible that the client is still not completely convinced of her ability to cope, and therefore, avoids certain activities or situations. In that case, the client should be properly prepared for future encounters with the anxiety provoking objects and situations. One way to prepare the client for such confrontations, is the use of in vivo exposure.

Newsletter

English

Ad de Jongh
Erik ten Broeke

de Jongh, A., & ten Broeke, E. (2000, September). Why and how to use ?in vivo exposure? in EMDR. EMDRIA Newsletter, 5(3), 18