EMDR therapy of panic disorder and agoraphobia: A review of the existing literature

Description

Objective:
The article outlines the state of the research on EMDR therapy of Panic Disorder (PD) and Agoraphobia.

Method:
Qualitative analysis of the existing literature.

Results:
One pilot study (Faretta, 2013) as well as single and series of individual case reports suggest that EMDR therapy is effective in eliminating symptoms of panic and agoraphobia, whereas two previous studies with placebo controls (Feske and Goldstein, 2997, Goldstein et al, 2000), failed to show comparable outcomes. Evaluating these discrepancies, an analysis of the two controlled studies reveals a failure to use the Adaptive Information Processing (AIO) model and to apply the treatment plans for PD/A described in the successful case reports. On the other side, the positive case reports and the pilot comparison study suggest that, when working with a comprehensive case formulation based on the AIP model, 12 up to 19 EMDR sessions can be effective to accomplish a full recovery from PD and Agoraphobia.

Conclusions:
While research on EMDR therapy for PD/A is still at an early age, these preliminary findings support the need for controlled studies to systemically evaluate the efficacy of EMDR therapy for PD in comparison with the other accepted PD treatments.

Format

Journal

Language

English

Author(s)

Elisa Faretta
Andrew Leeds

Original Work Citation

Faretta, E., & Leeds, A. (2017, October). EMDR therapy of panic disorder and agoraphobia: A review of the existing literature. Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 14(5), 330-340

Citation

“EMDR therapy of panic disorder and agoraphobia: A review of the existing literature,” Francine Shapiro Library, accessed May 5, 2024, https://francineshapirolibrary.omeka.net/items/show/24699.

Output Formats