When the editor of this journal asked me to write an introduction to the present issue I was frankly quite hesitant. After introducing EMDR to the research and clinical community more than 10 years ago (Shapiro, 1989), my primary goal has been to allow it to grow to maturity as an integrated approach to psychotherapy with a strong theoretical, clinical, and research base. Part of that process i...

EMDR combines stimuli that evoke divided attention--e.g. eye movements--with exposure to traumatic memories. Our objective was to investigate psycho-physiological correlates of EMDR during treatment sessions. A total of 55 treatment sessions from 10 patients with PTSD was monitored applying impedance cardiography. Onset of every stimulation/exposure period (n=811) was marked and effects within ...

Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, Volume 4, Number 4, 2010 © 2010 EMDR International Association DOI: 10.1891/1933-3196.4.4.156 Practitioners have been seeking more e! ective means to support clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and to replace challenging behavior with more e! ective coping strategies. Challenging behaviors in the context of this article refer to ...

Paruresis is a special type of non-generalized social phobia that involves fear and avoidance of urination in public restrooms. We administered eight 60-minute sessions of desensitization of triggers and urge reduction (DeTUR), an addiction protocol of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, to a 29-year old man with paruresis of 10 year duration. Because phobic avoidance ...

Since the seminal report by Shapiro that bilateral stimulation induces cognitive and emotional changes, 26 years of basic and clinical research have examined the effects of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in anxiety disorders, particularly in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present article aims at better understanding EMDR neural mechanism. I first review procedu...

W ith its open access character, the European Journal of Psychotraumatology aims to promote evidence-based treatments around the world, while at the same time welcoming new forms of treatment without losing its critical scientific eye. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) is by now a well-established treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There is good evide...

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is considered highly efficacious for the treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and has proved to be a valid treatment approach with a wide range of applications. However, EMDR's mechanisms of action is not yet fully understood. This is an active area of clinical and neurophysiological research, and several different hypotheses have been...