Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) A treatment method for trauma-related psychiatric disorders and psycho-social problems related to negative life events

In the last two decades there is an increasing number of studies on the effects of trauma and life events in people with Intellectual Disabilities (ID). Behavioural problems and depressive symptoms are frequently reported. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a specifi c trauma-related anxiety disorder with high prevalence rates in the normal population and with disruptive effects on the patient’s everyday life. As in children, behavioural problems are supposed to be a common feature in people with ID who have been exposed to traumatic life events.

In regard to the general vulnerability of people with ID, PTSD is supposed to be considerably under diagnosed and under treated in this population. In the normal population Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) are evidence based treatment methods for PTSD. Because of its highly nonverbal character EMDR seems to be a suitable treatment method for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

In this workshop the focus is on

• the recognition of symptoms related to psycho trauma or to sequences of negative life experiences, illustrated by a variety of case studies on people with ID.

• EMDR treatment in children and adults with a mild, moderate or severe ID, illustrated by video presentations. The participants get opportunities to experience some working mechanisms of EMDR by supervised practicing.

Conference

English

Liesbeth Mevissen-Renckens
Reinout Lievegoed

Mevissen-Renckens, L., & Lievegoed, R. (2009). Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) A treatment method for trauma-related psychiatric disorders and psycho-social problems related to negative life events. Presentation at the 7th European Mental Health in Intellectual Disability Conference, Amsterdam, The Netherlands