Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in the addiction continuing care: A phenomenological study of women treated in early recovery

The purpose of this study is to explore: (a) the lived experiences of clients participating in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) treatment as part of their addiction continuing care, and (b) the impact of the EMDR experience on their lives as individuals recovering from addiction. A review of the critical literature was conducted to reveal a wealth of information concerning EMDR's efficacy with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suggestions for implementing EMDR into addiction treatment, and various ethical-clinical issues that continue to be addressed within the scope of EMDR treatment. Research on implementing EMDR as part of the overall addiction recovery process is minimal at present. In this study, ten women who received EMDR at a treatment program in the urban Midwest participated in a semi-standardized phenomenological interview to share their experiences with active addiction, treatment, EMDR, and recovery. Using Giorgi's Descriptive Phenomenological Psychological Method to analyze the data, four major thematic areas emerged: safety as an essential crucible of the EMDR experience, accessing the emotional core as vital to the recovery experience, lifestyle change, and using a combination of factors for successful treatment. All ten of the women who came forward through the established recruitment process expressed positive sentiments about their EMDR experiences, and in various degrees, they credited their EMDR treatment with being a crucial competent of their addiction continuing care processes. As a collective sample, the participants shared experiences about how EMDR altered their perspectives of self, others, and situations. These perspective shifts resulted in meaningful lifestyle changes that were critical to developing healthy, enduring recoveries.

Dissertation/Thesis

English

Jamie N. Marich

Marich, J. N. (2009, May). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in the addiction continuing care: A phenomenological study of women treated in early recovery. Dissertation Abstracts International, Section B. Sciences and Engineering, 70(5-B), 3178