Skip to content
EMDR International Association
  • About EMDR Therapy
    • What is EMDR therapy?
      • Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) Model
      • EMDR Therapy & Addiction
      • EMDR Therapy & Anxiety
      • EMDR Therapy & Childhood Trauma
      • EMDR Therapy & Depression
      • EMDR Therapy & PTSD
    • Experiencing EMDR Therapy
    • EMDR Therapy in Treatment Guidelines
    • Recent Research on EMDR Therapy
    • Find an EMDR Therapist®
  • EMDR Training
    & Education
    • EMDR Education Calendar
    • EMDR Basic Training
      • 5 Steps to Take an EMDRIA™ Approved EMDR Basic Training
      • Eligibility Requirements for EMDR Basic Training
      • EMDR Basic Training FAQs
      • Training vs Certification
      • Find an EMDR Basic Training
    • Continuing Education
      • OnDemand Education
    • EMDRIA Conference
      • Call for Presentations
      • Call for Proposal Reviewers
      • Conference Speaker Resources
    • EMDRIA Summit
      • Summit Speaker Resources
    • EMDRIA™ Digital Badges
    • EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ Application
      • How to Market Yourself as an EMDRIA Certified Therapist™
      • EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ FAQs
      • Membership vs Certification
      • EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ Renewal
    • EMDRIA Approved Consultant™ Application
      • Updating EMDRIA Approved Consultant™ Standards
      • CIT Declaration Form
      • EMDRIA Approved Consultant in Training™ FAQs
      • Consultation Packet
      • EMDRIA Approved Consultant™ Renewal
      • Consultant Day Events
    • EMDRIA Credit Provider & Program Applications
    • EMDRIA Approved Trainer™ Application
      • EMDR Basic Training Policies & Requirements
      • Standards for EMDR Basic Training
      • Trainer Day Events
  • Publications
    & Resources
    • EMDRIA Library
    • Glossary of EMDR Terms
    • Antiracism Resources
    • Online EMDR Therapy Resources
    • Focal Point Blog
      • Subscribe to Focal Point Blog
    • Go With That Magazine®
    • Journal of EMDR Practice & Research®
    • Let’s Talk EMDR Podcast
    • Toolkits & Practice Resources
      • 8 Phases Toolkit
      • Building Your EMDR Practice Toolkit
      • Client Brochures
      • Addictions Toolkit
      • Depression Toolkit
      • EMDRIA Children’s Toolkit
      • Chronic Pain Toolkit
      • Military Toolkit
      • EMDR Consultation Toolkit
    • Kits y Recursos Prácticos
      • Folletos de Terapia EMDR
      • Kit de las 8 Fases
      • Kit de la Depresión
      • Kit del Dolor Crónico
      • Kit de los Niños y Niñas
  • EMDRIA™ Membership
    • Join EMDRIA™
      • Retired Membership
      • Agency Group Membership
      • International Affiliate Organizations
    • Member Hub
    • Renew EMDRIA™ Membership
    • Membership Benefits
    • EMDRIA™ Member Account Overview
    • Directory Profile Information
    • Membership vs Certification
  • EMDRIA Online Community
    • EMDRIA Online Community
    • EMDR Topic Forums
      • Special Interest Groups
      • Topic Forums
  • About
    EMDRIA™
    • Join EMDRIA™
    • EMDRIA™ FAQs
    • Contact EMDRIA™
    • Contact Media Relations
    • Meet the Board of Directors
      • Call for Board of Directors Nominations
    • Board News and Updates
      • Annual Membership Meeting
    • EMDR International Association™ Policies
    • EMDRIA™ Awards & Winners
    • EMDRIA Foundation
FacebookTwitterLinkedin
  • Join EMDRIA™
  • Contact
  • Find an EMDR Therapist®
EMDR International Association
Log In
  • About EMDR Therapy
    • What is EMDR therapy?
      • Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) Model
      • EMDR Therapy & Addiction
      • EMDR Therapy & Anxiety
      • EMDR Therapy & Childhood Trauma
      • EMDR Therapy & Depression
      • EMDR Therapy & PTSD
    • Experiencing EMDR Therapy
    • EMDR Therapy in Treatment Guidelines
    • Recent Research on EMDR Therapy
    • Find an EMDR Therapist®
  • EMDR Training
    & Education
    • EMDR Education Calendar
    • EMDR Basic Training
      • 5 Steps to Take an EMDRIA™ Approved EMDR Basic Training
      • Eligibility Requirements for EMDR Basic Training
      • EMDR Basic Training FAQs
      • Training vs Certification
      • Find an EMDR Basic Training
    • Continuing Education
      • OnDemand Education
    • EMDRIA Conference
      • Call for Presentations
      • Call for Proposal Reviewers
      • Conference Speaker Resources
    • EMDRIA Summit
      • Summit Speaker Resources
    • EMDRIA™ Digital Badges
    • EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ Application
      • How to Market Yourself as an EMDRIA Certified Therapist™
      • EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ FAQs
      • Membership vs Certification
      • EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ Renewal
    • EMDRIA Approved Consultant™ Application
      • Updating EMDRIA Approved Consultant™ Standards
      • CIT Declaration Form
      • EMDRIA Approved Consultant in Training™ FAQs
      • Consultation Packet
      • EMDRIA Approved Consultant™ Renewal
      • Consultant Day Events
    • EMDRIA Credit Provider & Program Applications
    • EMDRIA Approved Trainer™ Application
      • EMDR Basic Training Policies & Requirements
      • Standards for EMDR Basic Training
      • Trainer Day Events
  • Publications
    & Resources
    • EMDRIA Library
    • Glossary of EMDR Terms
    • Antiracism Resources
    • Online EMDR Therapy Resources
    • Focal Point Blog
      • Subscribe to Focal Point Blog
    • Go With That Magazine®
    • Journal of EMDR Practice & Research®
    • Let’s Talk EMDR Podcast
    • Toolkits & Practice Resources
      • 8 Phases Toolkit
      • Building Your EMDR Practice Toolkit
      • Client Brochures
      • Addictions Toolkit
      • Depression Toolkit
      • EMDRIA Children’s Toolkit
      • Chronic Pain Toolkit
      • Military Toolkit
      • EMDR Consultation Toolkit
    • Kits y Recursos Prácticos
      • Folletos de Terapia EMDR
      • Kit de las 8 Fases
      • Kit de la Depresión
      • Kit del Dolor Crónico
      • Kit de los Niños y Niñas
  • EMDRIA™ Membership
    • Join EMDRIA™
      • Retired Membership
      • Agency Group Membership
      • International Affiliate Organizations
    • Member Hub
    • Renew EMDRIA™ Membership
    • Membership Benefits
    • EMDRIA™ Member Account Overview
    • Directory Profile Information
    • Membership vs Certification
  • EMDRIA Online Community
    • EMDRIA Online Community
    • EMDR Topic Forums
      • Special Interest Groups
      • Topic Forums
  • About
    EMDRIA™
    • Join EMDRIA™
    • EMDRIA™ FAQs
    • Contact EMDRIA™
    • Contact Media Relations
    • Meet the Board of Directors
      • Call for Board of Directors Nominations
    • Board News and Updates
      • Annual Membership Meeting
    • EMDR International Association™ Policies
    • EMDRIA™ Awards & Winners
    • EMDRIA Foundation

Good vibrations: Bilateral tactile stimulation decreases startle magnitude during negative imagination and increases skin conductance response for positive imagination in an affective startle reflex paradigm (European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation)

Article-FeaturedImage

Home / Resources / Good vibrations: Bilateral tactile stimulation decreases startle magnitude during negative imagination and increases skin conductance response for positive imagination in an affective startle reflex paradigm (European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation)

Good vibrations: Bilateral tactile stimulation decreases startle magnitude during negative imagination and increases skin conductance response for positive imagination in an affective startle reflex paradigm

Testing the physiological and psychological mechanisms of bilateral stimuli while recalling traumatic memories in healthy subjects.


Article Abstract

“Objectives: Applying bilateral stimuli while recalling traumatic memories is a technique used in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), a well-established treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. The component of bilateral stimulation is the supposed impact factor of this method. For expanding the knowledge of the underlying physiological and psychological mechanisms, healthy subjects performing an imagination task were observed, and different types of stimulation and different types of measurement methods were compared.

Methods: A non-clinical sample of 30 healthy volunteers was confronted with imagination scripts of varying valence while bilateral tactile stimuli were applied. Monolateral tactile stimulation and no stimulation served as control conditions. Startle reflex and skin conductance responses were used for physiological reactions, while the Self-Assessment Manikin was used as subjective measure.

Results: The results clearly demonstrate that bilateral tactile stimulation has benefits compared to no stimulation: Startle reflex during negative imagination was reduced, and skin conductance response (i.e. attention) for positive imagination was increased. These findings correlated with a reduced level of distress for negative scripts and an increased arousal for positive scripts. Monolaterally, no influence on subjective experience but unspecific physiological effects were found.

Conclusions and significance: The study is the first to demonstrate a valence-dependent startle-reducing and attention-increasing effect of bilateral tactile stimulation using objective physiological measures. Further studies including a clinical sample are necessary to validate the findings.”

—Description from publisher

Article Access

Purchase/Subscription Required

Reichel, V., Sammer, G., Gruppe, H., Hanewald, B., Garder, R., Bloß, C., & Stingl, M. (2021). Good vibrations: Bilateral tactile stim1ulation decreases startle magnitude during negative imagination and increases skin conductance response for positive imagination in an affective startle reflex paradigm. European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 5(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejtd.2020.100197

Note: article is listed as “Good vibrations: Bilateral tactile stim1ulation decreases startle magnitude during negative imagination and increases skin conductance response for positive imagination in an affective startle reflex paradigm” in Elsevier.

View the Resource
Basic Info Collapse

Date
September 1, 2021

Creator(s)
Valeska Reichel, Gebhard Sammer, Harald Gruppe

Contributor(s)
Bernd Hanewald, Roman Garder, Christina Bloß, Markus Stingl

Practice & Methods
Mechanisms of Action

More Info Collapse

Publisher
Elsevier

Rights
© 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

APA Citation
Reichel, V., Sammer, G., Gruppe, H., Hanewald, B., Garder, R., Bloß, C., & Stingl, M. (2021). Good vibrations: Bilateral tactile stim1ulation decreases startle magnitude during negative imagination and increases skin conductance response for positive imagination in an affective startle reflex paradigm. European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 5(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejtd.2020.100197

Audience
EMDR Therapists, Other Mental Health Professionals

Language
English

Content Type
Article, Peer-Reviewed

Access Type
External Resource

Related Resources

EMDR Therapy and Military Resource List

Read More

Apples and oranges: PTSD patients and healthy individuals are not comparable in their subjective and physiological responding to emotion induction and bilateral stimulation (Frontiers in Psychology)

Read More

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

Read More

Find an EMDR Therapist®

EMDRIA™ has more than 16,000 members trained to provide EMDR Therapy. Find a therapist near you.

Find an EMDR Therapist®
sun-flare-min
logo-emdria-grayscale-min

7000 N Mo Pac Expy
Ste 200
Austin, TX 78731-3013

Email info@emdria.org

Phone 512-451-5200

EMDRIA Facebook EMDRIA Twitter EMDRIA LinkedIn EMDRIA YouTube EMDRIA Online Community
  • About EMDR Therapy
  • EMDR Training and Education
  • EMDRIA™ Membership
  • Publications & Resources
  • EMDRIA Online Community
  • EMDRIA Foundation
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Sitemap
gold-circle-2022

© 1995-2025 EMDR International Association™. All rights reserved.

Website by Yoko Co

  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • Please be aware that email is not a secure means of communication and spam filters may prevent your email from reaching the therapist. We recommend you follow up with a phone call. Sending an email using this page does not guarantee that the recipient will receive, read, or respond to your email.

    If this is an emergency do not use this form. Call 911 or your nearest hospital.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

We use cookies to ensure the best website experience. See our privacy policy to learn more.OkPrivacy policy