Treatment of a PTSD victim of attempted murder-robbery by eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): A case report

Reports both in Japan and in the U.S. indicate that Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can be effective for the treatment of PTSD and traumatic memory. This report summarizes the treatment of an attempted murder-robbery victim using EMDR. Although she responded rather poorly to the medications, the patient showed a rapid improvement with the introduction of six 90-minute EMDR sessions, as measured by the Impact of Event Scale - Revised (IES-R) and Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). Of particular interest was that the intrusion and hyperarousal symptoms disappeared in the early stage of the treatment; in contrast, the avoidance symptoms needed several sessions for management. Given the current controversies surrounding EMDR for the treatment for PTSD, more empirical evidence is needed to establish its efficacy.

Journal

English

Masamichi Honda

Honda, M. (2005, February). Treatment of a PTSD victim of attempted murder-robbery by eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): A case report. Japanese Journal of Traumatic Stress, 3(1), 91-106