EMDR and job loss: From adjustment disorder to resilience
Description
Background and aims
Job loss is a crucial issue in society nowadays. EMDR may help process the traumatic impact of job loss, develop resilience and prevent the development of PTSD in addition to anxiety depressive symptoms [3] [8]. As a critical event, it implies the perception of threat and the feeling of losing control, with following high levels of distress and a state of psychological and physical hyperarousal. The goal is to assume the effectiveness of EMDR with clients who experienced job loss as a ‘traumatic event’ with Adjustment Disorder symptoms [4] [5].
Methods
Implementation of the EMDR protocol on 13 clients, 8 men and 5 women, within 6 months from the job loss.
Results
All the clients treated with EMDR reported that the typical Adjustment Disorder symptoms had subjectively disappeared while resilience and job planning had increased along with the recovery of compromised areas related to Self Worth, Responsibility/Fault e/o Control/Choice where present.
Conclusions
EMDR helps clients to change their negative cognitive ideas of themselves [1], to process their dysfunctional emotions connected to critical events like job loss, develop resilience [2] [6]. Furthermore, pursuing the ‘past-present-future’ protocol [2] [7], memories linked to the most stressing moments of the job loss and the present situations that may reactivate the past trauma can be processed to help the client cope with future situations in a more adaptive and positive way [5]. Starting from this assumption, the study is extending to include additional clients sharing the same problem for the sample to be more consistent.
Learning objectives
1) Job loss as a ‘traumatic event’,
2) use of EMDR to treat Adjustment Disorder symptoms following a job loss,
3) develop resilience.
Job loss is a crucial issue in society nowadays. EMDR may help process the traumatic impact of job loss, develop resilience and prevent the development of PTSD in addition to anxiety depressive symptoms [3] [8]. As a critical event, it implies the perception of threat and the feeling of losing control, with following high levels of distress and a state of psychological and physical hyperarousal. The goal is to assume the effectiveness of EMDR with clients who experienced job loss as a ‘traumatic event’ with Adjustment Disorder symptoms [4] [5].
Methods
Implementation of the EMDR protocol on 13 clients, 8 men and 5 women, within 6 months from the job loss.
Results
All the clients treated with EMDR reported that the typical Adjustment Disorder symptoms had subjectively disappeared while resilience and job planning had increased along with the recovery of compromised areas related to Self Worth, Responsibility/Fault e/o Control/Choice where present.
Conclusions
EMDR helps clients to change their negative cognitive ideas of themselves [1], to process their dysfunctional emotions connected to critical events like job loss, develop resilience [2] [6]. Furthermore, pursuing the ‘past-present-future’ protocol [2] [7], memories linked to the most stressing moments of the job loss and the present situations that may reactivate the past trauma can be processed to help the client cope with future situations in a more adaptive and positive way [5]. Starting from this assumption, the study is extending to include additional clients sharing the same problem for the sample to be more consistent.
Learning objectives
1) Job loss as a ‘traumatic event’,
2) use of EMDR to treat Adjustment Disorder symptoms following a job loss,
3) develop resilience.
Format
Conference
Language
English
Original Work Citation
Faretta, E., & Agazzi, T. (2021, June). EMDR and job loss: From adjustment disorder to resilience. Poster presented at the 20th EMDR Europe Association Conference, Virtual
Citation
“EMDR and job loss: From adjustment disorder to resilience,” Francine Shapiro Library, accessed May 7, 2024, https://francineshapirolibrary.omeka.net/items/show/26895.