EMDR Therapy Case Study

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Brief Biographical Sketch of the theorist An American psychologist called Francine Shapiro developed The Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy in the 1980s. Dr. Shapiro was born on February 18th, 1948, she is currently 67 years old. She earned her PhD in clinical psychology from the Professional School of Psychological Studies in San Diego, California (Shapiro, 2015). Dr. Shapiro is a senior research fellow at the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, California (Shapiro, 2015). This therapy was created for the treatment of psychological traumas which led to controlled research studies about EMDR therapy (Trauma Recovery, 2015). She works in Northern California as a licensed clinical psychologist and author (Shapiro, …show more content…

The model explains that successful or positive experiences in life prepares a person for life challenges (Trauma Recovery, 2015). According to The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (2015), stored memories of unresolved conflicts or trauma in the brain tend to shape beliefs, emotions, body sensations and behavioral responses (CEBC, 2015). AIP model was created based on the symptoms that erupt from poorly adapted stored memories (CEBC). When maladaptive stored memories are not addressed, psychological symptoms may develop. Adaptive information processing model guides the therapist to use EMDR therapy to assess the disruptive memories (Trauma Recovery, 2015). Goals of psychotherapy The goal of this therapy is to focus on the past traumatic memories that are contributors of the traumatic problem, disturbing present situations and the necessary skills that could be beneficial to the client for the future (Shapiro, 2014). The focus of this therapy is to provide effective psychotherapy treatment without need to expose the client to detailed description of the traumatic event (Shapiro, 2014). Some of the other goals of this therapy is to strengthen positive beliefs, eradicate negative physical events, and ascertain skills needed for functioning and integrating learning (CEBC, 2015). Target population (age, gender, …show more content…

The therapist will collect demographic information including patient’s history and chief complaint (Bartson, Smith and Corcoran, 2011). The therapist focuses on assessing the client’s emotions and physical sensations following a traumatic event and not the details of the traumatic event (Bartson, 2011). This is what differentiates Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) from other therapies (Bartson, 2011). The process of EMDR therapy starts after this initial assessment. Phase 2: Preparation In the preparation phase, the therapist starts to teach the client some self-care techniques that could guide the client to control his/her emotions (Bartson, 2011). Self-care techniques are also very helpful in guiding the clients’ emotions during and between sessions (Bartson, 2011). In this stage of the therapy, the therapist is able to thoroughly explain the therapy to the patient in the aspect of the process, expectations during and after therapy (Bartson, 2011). Trust is usually developed in this phase of the therapy between the therapist and the client (Bartson,

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