Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR stands for “Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing”. This eight-phase treatment concept describes the full process of trauma treatment. As described by Janet in 1889 and recommended in today’s treatment guidelines for PTSD, EMDR begins with trauma-specific history taking, treatment planning and stabilization. Only after sufficient stabilization, techniques for trauma resolution are applied. These are processing phases characteristic for EMDR. For each processing session, a stressful memory is selected and integrated in five steps: Assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan and closure. In the best-case scenario, the traumatic memory has lost its stressful quality at the end of therapy, and the client’s quality of life has improved significantly.

Book Section

German

Oliver Schubbe
Annemarie van den Brink

Schubbe, O., & van den Brink, A. (2022). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). In Maercker, A. (Eds.) Trauma Sequelae (pp. 261–284). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-64057-9_14