What Psychological Testing and Neuroimaging Tell Us about the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder by Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing in chronic pain conditions

“…High levels of emotional arousal are thought to be linked with over-activation of the right hemisphere. For example, right-cerebral activation is reported in response to noxious stimuli and appears to be associated to the right hemisphere's role in experiencing negative emotions and processing aversive events, such as pain 19 . According to this theory, EMDR treatment could help decrease or eliminate pain sensations by enhancing the inter-hemispheric communication and the cortical integration of traumatic memories.…”

“…According to this theory, EMDR treatment could help decrease or eliminate pain sensations by enhancing the inter-hemispheric communication and the cortical integration of traumatic memories. As a result, there may be a decrease in negative emotional arousal with a concomitant reduction in hyper-vigilance, which may also lead to a decrease in pain perception 19 . Furthermore, bilateral stimulation in EMDR has been found to induce a relaxation response 20 .…”

“…It has been hypothesised that a distinct effect of EMDR treatment may be desensitising for the limbically augmented portion of the pain experience 18,21 . According to this theory, the EMDRinduced central alterations result in the increased activation of the anterior cingulate cortex and the left prefrontal area, enabling the capacity of higher-brain functions to override input from limbic structures 19,20 . This activation facilitates a limbic down-regulation, reduces kindling and enhances the integration of thalamic, amygdaloid, hippocampal and cortical functioning 20 .…”

PTSD, Neuroimaging and Psychotherapy: A Fruitful Encounter

“…It has been suggested that the left hemisphere sequentially organizes information and is responsible for problem solving and categorization operations (Hull et al, 2002;Van Der Kolk, 1997), which may explain why traumatic memories are experienced as 'belonging to the present', as brain regions necessary for sequencing and categorizing experiences are not adequately activated 2011). Individuals with PTSD were examined with SPECT before and after treatment with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (Levin et al, 1999). Post-treatment, there was increased activity in the AC and left frontal lobe, perhaps influencing neuronal activity in the areas implicated in PTSD, particularly the left hemisphere.…”

“…According to the Expert Consensus Guideline Series for treatment of PTSD (1999), exposure-based therapy was indicated as a psychological treatment of choice for flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, traumarelated fears, and avoidance. All of the multicomponent treatments that include cognitive interventions have exposure as one of their key elements (Levin et al, 1999;Marks et al, 1998;2011). In fact, revisiting traumatic memories can bring therapeutic benefits, as long as a well-structured process of restructuring of the emotional content is employed (Littrell, 1998).…”