Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): Exploring a new avenue for sex offender treatment
Description
More experimental is the contribution of EMDR to the treatment of addiction and compulsion. Miller (2010) developed the Feeling-State Theory of impulse-control disorders, postulating that impulse-control disorders develop when positive feelings become linked with specific objects or behaviors. Together, these form a state-dependent memory, called a ‘Feeling State.’ For example, a gambler had an intense need to belong. After winning a lot of money playing poker, the camaraderie that he experienced afterwards with his friends became linked with the behavior of playing poker. Subsequently, whenever he wanted to experience the feeling of belonging, he played poker. The fixated state consisting of a positive feeling (belonging) linked with a behavior (playing poker) is called a feeling-state. Once established, the feeling-state is relatively independent of its origin. When triggered, the intensity of the associated emotions blocks further processing and renders the feeling-state equally fixating as a traumatic memory. The assumption is that the strong urges will disappear when the linked positive emotions are desensitized. This is tantamount to a ‘reverse EMDR’, since it does not involve the desensitization of negative (traumatic) memories, but instead the desensitization of positive memories: memories that exert a strong attraction.
Format
Newsletter
Language
English
Citation
“Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): Exploring a new avenue for sex offender treatment,” Francine Shapiro Library, accessed May 14, 2024, https://francineshapirolibrary.omeka.net/items/show/27264.