Mechanisms of Action Archives

Correlates of EMDR Therapy in Functional and Structural Neuroimaging: A Critical Summary of Recent Findings (Journal of EMDR Practice and Research)

Results of neurobiological functional and structural changes taking place at PTSD treatment, presented 1999–2012 by various research groups.

Bilateral saccadic eye movements and tactile stimulation, but not auditory stimulation, enhance memory retrieval (Brain and Cognition)

Discussion of alternating bilateral activation of the left & right hemispheres and its effects on memory connectivity between the hemispheres.

A Commentary on Hornsveld et al. (2011): A Valid Test of Resource Development and Installation? Absolutely Not (Journal of EMDR Practice and Research)

Evidence supporting “working memory” & “REM/Orienting Response” hypotheses as mechanisms of treatment effects of EMDR on patients with PTSD.

How does EMDR work? (Journal of Experimental Psychopathology)

Paper on the findings of a long series of experiments that disproved the hypothesis that eye movements or other ‘dual tasks’ are unnecessary.

Tones inferior to eye movements in the EMDR treatment of PTSD (Behaviour Research and Therapy)

Study suggests that eye movements outperformed tones while it remained unclear if tones add to recall only.

Studio di valutazione dell’efficacia clinica e neurobiologica dell’EMDR in pazienti affetti da disturbo da stress post-traumatico (Rivista Di Psichiatria)

Il nostro studio suggerisce che il trattamento con EMDR è associato a un significativo miglioramento dei sintomi di PTSD e a un parallelo incremento dei volumi ippocampali.

Time-course of eye movement-related decrease in vividness and emotionality of unpleasant autobiographical memories (Memory)

Participants retrieved unpleasant memories & rated their vividness/emotionality prior to & following eye movements or keeping eyes stationary.

Substrato neurobiologico della terapia con EMDR (Rivista Di Psichiatria)

Gli EEG sono stati quindi ripetuti durante l’ultima seduta EMDR eseguita su paziente asintomatico.

Adaptive Information Processing and a Systemic Biopsychosocial Model (Journal of EMDR Practice and Research)

The author expands the AIP model to include psychosocial mechanisms & suggests a biopsychosocial system depicts positive outcomes of EMDR.

Plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor level may contribute to the therapeutic response to eye movement desensitization and reprocessing in complex post-traumatic stress disorder: A pilot study (Acta Neuropsychiatrica, 2012)

Investigating the relationship between plasma levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, nerve growth factor, and EMDR in complex PTSD.

Evaluating the Effect of Eye Movements on Positive Memories Such as Those Used in Resource Development and Installation (Journal of EMDR Practice and Research)

Study found that the effectiveness of bilateral stimulation in resource development and installation (RDI) is questionable.

Pretreatment, Intratreatment, and Posttreatment EEG Imaging of EMDR: Methodology and Preliminary Results From a Single Case (Journal of EMDR Practice and Research)

Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to monitor neuronal activation during the whole EMDR session, including the autobiographical script.

Mechanisms of Action

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