Eye movement desensitization procedure:  A new treatment for anxiety

The Eye Movement Desensitization (EMD) procedure is a recently developed rapid treatment for anxiety and traumatic memories. Although, according to the DSM-III, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops from a "psychologically traumatic event that is generally outside thr ange orusual human experience," many people are affected. Symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks and intrusive thoughts based on inidents of combat, rape, incest, accidents and natural disasters such as the 1989 Lom Prieta earthquake. Clinical experience has demonstrated that one to four sessions iwth EMD are sufficient to produce cessation of trauma-related anxiety and pronounced symtomatology suffered by victims of such events.

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Francine Shapiro

Shapiro, F. (1990, July). Eye movement desensitization procedure: A new treatment for anxiety. The California Psychologist, 18-19