Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing with complex personality pathology: An integrative therapy

EMDR is a method that appears to have successfully achieved such integration of cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic approaches.

Article Abstract

“Among the explorations of psychotherapy integration, attempts to integrate the cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic approaches are receiving much attention. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is one newly developed method that appears to have successfully achieved such integration. The author presents cases of 2 patients with complex personality problems to illustrate how EMDR does achieve this integration. The cases demonstrate the formulation of dynamic hypotheses based first on a thoughtful clinical understanding of the patient and then reformulated as new information emerges from the free associations elicited by this method. Treatment based on these formulations is through the cognitive and behavioral aspects of the EMDR procedures. Unlike many other integrative methods that have been proposed, the different aspects of this method are not applied separately but form a cohesive whole.”

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Fensterheim, H. (1996). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing with complex personality pathology: An integrative therapy. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 6(1), 27-38. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0101093