Treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder with eye movement desensitization

Case report of a victim of gun violence and successful treatment by eye-movement desensitization.

Article Abstract

“This case report describes the successful treatment of a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using eye movement desensitization (EMD). The client, a 40-year-old male, presented with an 8-year history of PTSD following an incident in which he was shot with a hand gun and left dying. Using EMD treatment, this trauma was quickly desensitized. Two earlier traumas with similar themes then emerged and they too were desensitized. Test results, taken pre-treatment and posttreatment, along with the client’s verbatim account of cognitive and behavioral changes 8 months later, converged to document the successful treatment outcome.”

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Kleinknecht, R. A., & Morgan, M. P. (1992). Treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder with eye movement desensitization. Journal of Behavioral Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry,23(1), 43-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7916(92)90024-D