Interference of spontaneous eye movements during recollections changes the vividness and emotionality of autobiographical memories?: A crucial test of possible EMDR mechanisms

This study examined possible therapeutic mechanism of eye movements in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Several studies have reported that bilateral eye movements during imagery could decrease vividness and emotionality of recollections. This study proposed a hypothesis, that was, the reduction of recall was due to the interference of spontaneous eye movements including conjugate lateral eye movements (CLEMs). 110 undergraduate students (47 men, 63 women) recalled two positive and two negative memories (the CLEMs of these memories were recorded by a digital camera at the same time) and rated their vividness and emotionality of the recollections. Next, participants recalled the memories while they were engaging in five between-group conditions (bilateral eye movements, left gaze, right gaze, central gaze, and mere imagery condition). Then participants recalled the event again and rated its vividness and emotionality. The results showed that the bilateral eye movements made autobiographical memories less vivid and less emotive, while mere image increased the vividness and emotionality of autobiographical memories (ps < .05). Importantly, there was only one significant Valence × Time interaction effect (p < .05) in the left gaze condition. It showed that right hemisphere involved more negative emotions than positive, whereas left hemisphere involved no differences between negative and positive emotions. With regard to CLEMs, there were no different lateral eye movements between negative and positive memories. The study supported the idea that bilateral eye movements during imagery could decrease vividness and emotionality of recollections, and that interfering spontaneous eye movements changed vividness and emotionality of autobiographical memories. The role of eye movements in the EMDR was discussed.

Conference

English

Sue-Hwang Chang
Y. H. Lee

Chang, S.-H. & Lee, Y. H. (2006, September). Interference of spontaneous eye movements during recollections changes the vividness and emotionality of autobiographical memories?: A crucial test of possible EMDR mechanisms. Presentation at the 36th Annual Congress of the EABCT (European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies), Paris, France