Evaluating the efficacy of Eye movement desensitisation reprocessing (EMDR) with grieving Individuals: A randomised control trial

This review begins by placing grief that relates to the loss of someone important to us, within the context of an almost universal experience. It acknowledges the impact of grief as being costly to both the individual’s well-being and the community more broadly, as well as identifying some of the difficulties associated with affording complicated grief a diagnosis. The review examines theoretical approaches which are informative in both the understanding of grief and also its treatment. Regarding the psychotherapeutic treatment of grief it is concluded that there appears a lack of clarity and consistency in information regarding the treatment of grief in an individual setting. This arises from a number of methodological shortcomings apparent in clinical trials which subsequently limit several meta-analyses. Nevertheless, the literature does reveal clear support for the use of interventions in cases where grief is chronic or complicated in nature, in particular interventions based on a cognitive-behavioural therapy framework. Given that complicated grief is not afforded a classification within the DSM-5 to guide clinicians it is critical, for the benefit of both clinicians and those in grief, that the trialling of potentially timely and appropriate interventions are conducted in ways that attempt to overcome the limitations of those studies identified above.

Dissertation/Thesis

English

Larissa Morozow

Morozow, L. (2014, January). Assisting individuals struggling with grief: A review of the literature on grief and its treatment and evaluating the efficacy of eye movement desensitisation reprocessing (EMDR) with grieving individuals: A randomised control trial. (Master's thesis, Murdoch University)