EMDR and case conceptualization from an adaptive information processing perspective

In its 20-year history, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has evolved from a simple technique into an integrative psychotherapy approach with a theoretical model that emphasizes the brain's information processing system and memories of disturbing experiences as the basis of pathology. The eight-phase treatment comprehensively addresses the experiences that contribute to clinical conditions and those that are needed to bring the client to a robust state of psychological health. The concept of the transformation of the stored experience through a rapid learning process is the key to understanding the basis and application of EMDR and its guiding Adaptive Information Processing model (Shapiro, 1995, 2001, 2002). The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of both theory and practice.

Book Section

English

Francine Shapiro

Shapiro, F. (2007). EMDR and case conceptualization from an adaptive information processing perspective. In F. Shapiro, F. Kaslow, & L. Maxfield (Eds.), Handbook of EMDR and family therapy processes (pp. 3-36). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc