Abstract
Background: Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is becoming a recognized and accepted form of psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet, its mechanism of action remains unclear and much controversy exists about whether eye movements or other forms of bilateral kinesthetic stimulation contribute to its clinical effects beyond the exposure elements of the procedure. Methods: Twenty-one patients with single-event PTSD (average Impact of Event Scale score: 49.5) received three consecutive sessions of EMDR with three different types of auditory and kinesthetic stimulation (tones and vibrations): intermittent alternating right-left (as commonly used with the standard EMDR protocol), intermittent simultaneous bilateral, and continuous bilateral. Therapists were blinded to the type of stimulation they delivered, and stimulation type assignment was randomized and counterbalanced. Results: All three stimulation types resulted in clinically significant reductions of subjective units of distress (SUD). Yet, alternating stimulation resulted in faster reductions of SUD when only sessions starting with a new target memory were considered. Conclusions: There are clinically significant effects of the EMDR procedure that appear to be independent of the nature of the kinesthetic stimulation used. However, alternating stimulation may confer an additional benefit to the EMDR procedure that deserves attention in future studies.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 290-297 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics |
| Volume | 75 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 2006 |
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Keywords
- Bilateral stimulation
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
- Posttraumatic stress disorder
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychology(all)
Cite this
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for posttraumatic stress disorder : A pilot blinded, randomized study of stimulation type. / Servan-Schreiber, David; Schooler, Jonathan; Dew, Mary Amanda; Carter, Cameron S; Bartone, Patricia.
In: Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Vol. 75, No. 5, 08.2006, p. 290-297.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for posttraumatic stress disorder
T2 - A pilot blinded, randomized study of stimulation type
AU - Servan-Schreiber, David
AU - Schooler, Jonathan
AU - Dew, Mary Amanda
AU - Carter, Cameron S
AU - Bartone, Patricia
PY - 2006/8
Y1 - 2006/8
N2 - Background: Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is becoming a recognized and accepted form of psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet, its mechanism of action remains unclear and much controversy exists about whether eye movements or other forms of bilateral kinesthetic stimulation contribute to its clinical effects beyond the exposure elements of the procedure. Methods: Twenty-one patients with single-event PTSD (average Impact of Event Scale score: 49.5) received three consecutive sessions of EMDR with three different types of auditory and kinesthetic stimulation (tones and vibrations): intermittent alternating right-left (as commonly used with the standard EMDR protocol), intermittent simultaneous bilateral, and continuous bilateral. Therapists were blinded to the type of stimulation they delivered, and stimulation type assignment was randomized and counterbalanced. Results: All three stimulation types resulted in clinically significant reductions of subjective units of distress (SUD). Yet, alternating stimulation resulted in faster reductions of SUD when only sessions starting with a new target memory were considered. Conclusions: There are clinically significant effects of the EMDR procedure that appear to be independent of the nature of the kinesthetic stimulation used. However, alternating stimulation may confer an additional benefit to the EMDR procedure that deserves attention in future studies.
AB - Background: Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is becoming a recognized and accepted form of psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet, its mechanism of action remains unclear and much controversy exists about whether eye movements or other forms of bilateral kinesthetic stimulation contribute to its clinical effects beyond the exposure elements of the procedure. Methods: Twenty-one patients with single-event PTSD (average Impact of Event Scale score: 49.5) received three consecutive sessions of EMDR with three different types of auditory and kinesthetic stimulation (tones and vibrations): intermittent alternating right-left (as commonly used with the standard EMDR protocol), intermittent simultaneous bilateral, and continuous bilateral. Therapists were blinded to the type of stimulation they delivered, and stimulation type assignment was randomized and counterbalanced. Results: All three stimulation types resulted in clinically significant reductions of subjective units of distress (SUD). Yet, alternating stimulation resulted in faster reductions of SUD when only sessions starting with a new target memory were considered. Conclusions: There are clinically significant effects of the EMDR procedure that appear to be independent of the nature of the kinesthetic stimulation used. However, alternating stimulation may confer an additional benefit to the EMDR procedure that deserves attention in future studies.
KW - Bilateral stimulation
KW - Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
KW - Posttraumatic stress disorder
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33746875276&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33746875276&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1159/000093950
DO - 10.1159/000093950
M3 - Article
C2 - 16899965
AN - SCOPUS:33746875276
VL - 75
SP - 290
EP - 297
JO - Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
JF - Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
SN - 0033-3190
IS - 5
ER -