Therapists’ views on the use of EMDR: The case of Hong Kong

Since the introduction of EMDR training courses in Hong Kong more than a decade ago, the method has been gaining an enormously growing interest among professionals. One of the indications to the growing interest in EMDR is the high rate of participation in the training courses. While there is a volume of studies on the efficacy of EMDR among different populations, therapists’ viewpoints on its use has not been studied extensively. The purpose of the paper is to examine the views of therapists who have undergone EMDR training in Hong Kong and have used the method in their practice. Data were collected through an open-ended questionnaire and follow-up in depth interviews with a group of therapists. The questionnaire sought information about their initial experience of using EMDR, the types of patients they used it with, the contribution of the method to the therapy and the difficulties they encountered. Follow-up interviews aimed to shed more light on issues raised by the respondents and to provide a platform for their further elaboration. Participants’ responses indicated the positive effects EMDR use on clients and its facilitation of the therapy process. The respondents indicated difficulties in following the exact EDMR protocol especially in relation to the terminology such as: “completely false”, “completely true”, “emotions” and “sensation”. Additional issues raised around the use of the scales and of different bilateral stimulations. On the basis of these finding special consideration should be given to the adaptation of the EMDR protocol to the Chinese language and way of thinking.

Conference

English

Atari Sivan

Sivan, A. (2014, January). Therapists' views on the use of EMDR: The case of Hong Kong. In EMDR: Social and cultural adaptations/integration with other therapies (Tri Iswardani, Chair). Presentation at the 2nd EMDR Asia International Conference, Manila, The Philippines