L’arbre qui cache la forêt: Traitement EMDR d’une patiente agoraphobe Case report: EMDR therapy of an agoraphobic patient
Description
Les études cliniques portant sur l’efficacité de l’ Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) dans le traitement du trouble panique avec ou sans agoraphobie s’avèrent décevantes. Ainsi, malgré de nombreuses études de cas rapportant des résultats favorables, l’indication officielle de l’EMDR reste aujourd’hui cantonnée au traitement du trouble de stress post-traumatique. Nous décrivons ici le cas d’une patiente agoraphobe traitée avec succès par l’EMDR, avec la découverte fortuite d’un épisode stressant vécu durant la petite enfance. Ce résultat va dans le sens de l’hypothèse de certains auteurs pour qui les attaques de panique correspondraient à la réactivation du souvenir décontextualisé d’un traumatisme, vécu à un âge auquel les structures hippocampiques n’étaient pas encore fonctionnelles. Nous postulons que la facilité avec laquelle une telle expérience peut être retrouvée et reconstruite conditionne la réponse à l’EMDR.
Studies on the efficacy of Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in the treatment of panic disorder with or without agoraphobia show disappointing results. As a consequence, even though there are many anecdotal reports of successful outcomes, the only indication of EMDR remains post-traumatic stress disorder. We describe the case of an agoraphobic patient successfully treated by EMDR, with the unexpected discovery of a stressful experience which occurred during early childhood. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that panic attacks could be considered as reactivations of a decontextualized traumatic memory, recorded when the hippocampus was not yet functional. We hypothesize that treatment outcome mainly depends on the ease with which such a memory can be retrieved.
Studies on the efficacy of Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in the treatment of panic disorder with or without agoraphobia show disappointing results. As a consequence, even though there are many anecdotal reports of successful outcomes, the only indication of EMDR remains post-traumatic stress disorder. We describe the case of an agoraphobic patient successfully treated by EMDR, with the unexpected discovery of a stressful experience which occurred during early childhood. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that panic attacks could be considered as reactivations of a decontextualized traumatic memory, recorded when the hippocampus was not yet functional. We hypothesize that treatment outcome mainly depends on the ease with which such a memory can be retrieved.
Format
Journal
Language
French
Original Work Citation
Nicolas, F., & Vautier, V. (2017, December). [Case report: EMDR therapy of an agoraphobic patient]. Annales Medico Psychologiques, 175(10) , 926-928. doi:10.1016/j.amp.2017.10.003. French
Citation
“L’arbre qui cache la forêt: Traitement EMDR d’une patiente agoraphobe
Case report: EMDR therapy of an agoraphobic patient,” Francine Shapiro Library, accessed May 3, 2024, https://francineshapirolibrary.omeka.net/items/show/24719.
Case report: EMDR therapy of an agoraphobic patient,” Francine Shapiro Library, accessed May 3, 2024, https://francineshapirolibrary.omeka.net/items/show/24719.