Mechanisms of Action Archives

EMDR: A putative neurobiological mechanism of action (Journal of Clinical Psychology)

We propose that the repetitive redirecting of attention in EMDR induces a neurobiological state, similar to that of REM sleep.

Does relief of distress from competing visuospatial sketchpad tasks during imaginal exposure come at the cost of impaired desensitization?

We propose that EMDR’s eye movements facilitate the orienting response, i.e., the attentional adjustment to unexpected stimuli.

The possibility is suggested that another underlying mechanism of EMDR stimulation is the activation of the lateral cerebellum.

Study on the pathophysiology and treatment of PTSD before/after EMDR through psychological testing, Rorschach Ink Blot, and neuroimaging.

In this article, authors examine 17 recent studies on the effectiveness of EMDR and the conceptual analysis of its mechanisms of action.

A discussion exploring current neurobiological findings in the areas of the limbic system, REM-sleep and psychological trauma circa 1998.

Hypothesis that eye-movements reduce the vividness of distressing images by disrupting the visuospatial sketchpad (VSSP) of working memory.

This paper argues that Pavlovian and Darwinian theory provide a theoretical explanation for the therapeutic effectiveness of EMDR.

The relaxing effect of the eye movements suggests that a mechanisms operating during EMDR is desensitization by reciprocal inhibition.

Theoretical proposals evaluating the orienting response (OR) as a mechanism of action for EMDR therapy circa 1996.

EMDR’s apparent similarity to dreaming and to therapeutic dreamwork is suggested as a possible key to understanding its underlying mechanism.