The sociopolitical context of EMDR research: can't we all just get along (or at least look at the data)?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) has been mired in intense controversy since its inception. Initial claims of its efficacy were probably exaggerated, but many researchers continue to outright dismiss its positive outcome data. Indeed, the ongoing debate over the effectiveness of EMDR recapitulates the developmental history of validating many psychotherapy systems.

This presentation reviews sociopolitical considerations in interpreting and disseminating the burgeoning outcome research (16 plus controlled studies, several meta-analyses) on EMDR. These include paradigm strain, the initial restrictions on training in EMDR, the timing of controlled research vis a vis clinical applications, its application to disorders beyond trauma, and the unfortunate use of “eye movements" in its title. Dispassionate reviews generally find the clinical results of EMDR with PTSD to be equivalent to exposure methods in fewer sessions, but the psychotherapy research community has failed to embrace these conclusions.

Conference

English

John Norcross

Norcross, J. (2002, June). The sociopolitical context of EMDR research: can't we all just get along (or at least look at the data)? In L. Beutler, Discussant, EMDR research and its future: Ecological validity, process research, component analysis, outcome findings, and sociopolitical context. Panel discussion at the (SPR) Society for Psychotherapy Research, International Conference, Santa Barbara, CA