Outcome of CBT with adults; The treatment of non-psychotic morbid jealousy using EMDR and cognitive interweave

Jealousy is an unwelcome emotion, which most people will have experienced at sometime in their lives. In its mildest form it may be seen as an expression of devotion, however, for some people it can become obsessive and destructive (Mullen, 1990) The possible consequences of this very serious condition can result in suspician, violence and the complete breakdown of a relationship. This study highlights the case of a man with a long standing history of jealousy towards his partner. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) would suggest that jealousy was maintained by a person's erroneous assumptions about sexual behaviour and attractiveness of their partner, as well as pervasive negative schemas of self-worth. Any consideration for treatment therefore, needed to address both these areas. The treatment intervention of Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) utilising cognitive interweave was used to reduce the intensity of the emotionof jealous reactions. Results showed a marked reduction in the intensity of the emotion of jealousy, which lead to a reduction in the client's challenging and checking behaviours towards his partner. Results also indicate a clear reduction in the client's erroneous automatic negative and jelous thoughts. What is unclear is whether it was the EMDR therapy itself, or a combination of EMDR and other cognitive behavoural therapy interventions that brought about these reducitons in symptomatology. Acknowledging the limitations of generalising from single case designs, consideration will be given to the need for further investigation and research in to the application of EMDR with this client group.

Conference

English

Paul S. Keenan

Keenan, P. S. (2004, September). Outcome of CBT with adults; The treatment of non-psychotic morbid jealousy using EMDR and cognitive interweave. Poster presented at the 34th annual Conference of the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology(UMIST), Manchester, England