Sexual Violence: Psychiatric Healing With Eye Movement Reprocessing and Desensitization

Abstract

Sexual violence, which affects one in three women worldwide, can result in significant psychiatric morbidity and suicide. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) offers health care providers the option of a brief psychiatric intervention that can result in psychiatric healing in as few as four sessions. Because health care providers often hear stories of sexual violence from their patients, they are in an ideal position to make recommendations for treatment. The purpose of this article is to introduce health care providers to the technique of EMDR, review safety and appropriateness, and discuss clinical and research implications.

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“…These are behaviours that are related to adverse life experiences in childhood, household dysfunction, bullying and humiliation. It has also been suggested that EMDR is useful for treating women who have experienced sexual violence (35). Mindfulness is inspired by Buddhism and based on the non-judgmental acceptance of somatic sensations, physical pain, thoughts, memories, or psychological distress.…”

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“…b) The Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Technique (EMDR): developed in the United States in the 80s by the psychologist Francine Shapiro, encourages reprocessing difficult and painful memories in different brain hemispheres [20].…”