The subjective experiences of children following EMDR for PTSD following a single incident trauma

This study explored the subjective experiences of children from 10 to 16 years who had completed an episode of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following a single traumatic incident. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to elucidate the participants’ understanding of the effect of the EMDR therapy on their recovery from PTSD. Three super-ordinate themes are identified describing how the participants engaged in the therapy, were assisted to keep going and what they made of the EMDR process. Results suggest that difficulties in engaging in the therapy were overcome by a combination of desperation and determination to get better, support of family and friends, the credibility of the therapist and finding that they started to feel better after about two sessions. EMDR was perceived as a surprisingly effective therapy in the light of almost universal initial scepticism, and an approach that generally did not require a conscious effort by the participant to make it work.

Conference

English

Ruth Armstrong

Armstrong, R. (2011, March). The subjective experiences of children following EMDR for PTSD following a single incident trauma. In EMDR research (Derek Farrell, Chair). Symposium conducted at the 9th EMDR Association UK & Ireland Annual Conference & AGM, Bristol, UK