EMDR therapy and physical violence injury: "Best moments" protocolSummary sheet:  EMDR therapy and physical violence injury: "Best moments" protocol (Luber)

Many victims of prolonged intimate partner violence (IPV) enter psychotherapy in order to find a way to escape from a dangerous relationship, and for these clients, it is typically appropriate to focus within the therapy sessions on strategies for keeping safe and creating an action plan for safely ending the relationship. Idealization and maladaptive positive emotion in IPV situations are serious, potentially life-threatening issues—issues that can be understood and treated within the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model. Idealization and maladaptive positive emotion are often overlooked in psychotherapy, where the emphasis is usually placed on working through negative emotions related to adverse and traumatizing experiences. The use of this 'best moment' intervention is not determined by the client's diagnosis, but by the extent that the client is perceiving the partner in a distorted, overly positive way. This type of distortion can occur across many diagnostic categories. Individuals who repeatedly return to an abusive and dangerous relationship can often benefit from standard eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, to resolve their confusion, resolve feelings of shame and helplessness, and make positive choices. This chapter briefly discusses the EMDR therapy for the Best Moments Protocol.

Book Section

English

Delores Mosquera
Jim Knipe

Mosquera, D., & Knipe, J. (2019). EMDR therapy and physical violence injury: "Best moments" protocol. In M. Luber (Ed.), Eye movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy Scripted Protocols and Summary Sheets: Treating eating Disorders, Chronic Pain, and Maladaptive Self-Care Behaviors (pp. 251-264). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Co