Premium
An empirical evaluation of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) with survivors of a natural disaster
Author(s) -
Grainger Ruth Dailey,
Levin Clifford,
AllenByrd Lois,
Doctor Ronald M.,
Lee Howard
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.2490100412
Subject(s) - eye movement desensitization and reprocessing , desensitization (medicine) , psychology , natural disaster , psychotherapist , natural (archaeology) , eye movement , movement (music) , clinical psychology , medicine , neuroscience , history , posttraumatic stress , geography , art , receptor , meteorology , archaeology , aesthetics
Controlled studies of treatments effective with victims of natural disasters are almost nonexistent. This is a small study conducted under difficult conditions to test the effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in treating trauma related reactions following Hurricane Andrew. The results were positive in that EMDR produced significant improvement over wait list controls in perceived posttraumatic avoidance behaviors and thoughts as measured by changes in the Impact of Event Scale and significant improvement in subjective aversive reactions to representative experiences of the hurricane. These results suggest and support other studies that EMDR can be an effective therapeutic intervention for trauma reactions.