EMDR in severe mental illness
Description
EMDR is being used in a wide range of psychopathological conditions beyond simple PTSD, including many conditions usually included in the concept of Severe Mental Illness as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe dissociative disorders and extreme presentations of different psychiatric diagnosis. EMDR has shown good result in different research, but the treatment in these cases need a comprehensive case conceptualization, integrating biologic and traumatic factors.
Additionally, the severity of a disorder is also related with the level of traumatization, being this aspect especially relevant for EMDR therapy. Complex traumatization and the presence of dissociative symptoms have been related with difficulties applying standard protocol, and with the need of modifications in therapeutic procedures. This workshop will be oriented to different aspects that we should have in mind when we are working with EMDR with severe mental disorders. Some clinical cases will be presented to describe a decision-making having process and interventions in different cases of severe mental disorders.
Workshop
EMDR is being used in a wide range of psychopathological conditions beyond simple PTSD, and there is now an active controversy about the need of modifications on procedures and protocols. Complex traumatization and the presence of dissociative symptoms have been related with difficulties applying standard protocol, and with the need of modifications in therapeutic procedures. This workshop will be oriented to understand the role of the influence of severe emotion dysregulation in EMDR treatment.
Emotion dysregulation is a frequent feature in trauma-related disorders. Different kinds of regulation problems seem to be linked to particular psychiatric conditions, and there is growing evidence of the association between neurobiological correlates and those dysregulation patterns. Nevertheless, many of the recent findings from the field of the neurobiology have not been translated into clinical practice and are insufficiently contemplated in trauma-oriented therapies. The aim of this workshop is to review recent developments in the field of emotion regulation, connecting these issues with the practical implementation of psychotherapeutic procedures in complex cases. This workshop focus on how emotion dysregulation may influence eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) treatment in trauma-related disorders. Different patterns of emotion dysregulation may influence EMDR treatment and procedures, and the application of EMDR beyond non- dissociative PTSD should take into account the predominant emotion-regulation strategies in each patient.
Different clinical cases will be presented to illustrate the theoretical concepts and to describe a decision-making having into account the specific emotion regulation problems that each patient presents.