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Preliminary evidence for the acceptability, safety, and efficacy of the flash technique (Frontiers in Psychiatry)

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Home / Resources / Preliminary evidence for the acceptability, safety, and efficacy of the flash technique (Frontiers in Psychiatry)

Preliminary evidence for the acceptability, safety, and efficacy of the flash technique

This study explores the acceptability, safety, and efficacy of the flash technique (FT).


Article Abstract

“Objectives: This study reports on four similar studies intended to explore the acceptability, safety, and efficacy of the flash technique (FT), a method of rapidly reducing the intensity of a disturbing memory or image, with minimal subjective disturbance for subjects during the process. Of the four studies, two were conducted during FT trainings in the United States, one in Australia, and one in Uganda.

Methods: The studies involve pre-, post-, and follow-up repeated-measures design to determine the effectiveness of a 15-min FT intervention. A total of 654 subjects were asked to think of a disturbing memory and then participate in a structured experience of an FT. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether a brief application of an FT would be safe and effective in significantly reducing their disturbance. In each study, subjects rated their disturbing memories on a 0-to-10 scale, with zero representing no disturbance at all and 10 representing the worst they could imagine. Then, they took part in a 15-min group practicum where they were guided in a self-administering FT with no individual supervision or support.

Results: In all four studies, the mean reduction in disturbance exceeded two-thirds, the results were significant (p < 0.001), and the effect size was very large. Of the 813 sessions (654 subjects) represented in these studies, only two subjects reported slight increases in disturbances, and both of these subjects reported reductions in disturbance in their second FT experiences 2 h later. At a 4-week follow-up, mean disturbance levels in all four studies indicated maintenance of benefit or slightly further reduction of mean disturbance levels. An 18-month follow-up study with a subgroup of subjects who initially reported a high level of memory-related distress found similar maintenance of gains as well as symptom reduction.

Conclusion: These findings provide preliminary evidence of acceptability, safety, and efficacy of FT; therefore, further study is warranted.”

—Description from publisher

Article Access

Open Access 

Manfield, P. E., Taylor, G., Dornbush, E., Engel, L., & Greenwald, R. (2024). Preliminary evidence for the acceptability, safety, and efficacy of the flash technique. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14: 1273704. Open access: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1273704

About the Journal

“Frontiers in Psychiatry is an interdisciplinary journal that focuses on translational and ‘bench-to-beside’ approaches to improve therapeutic options for mental illness and consequently to improve patient treatment outcomes.”

—Description from publisher

View the Resource
Basic Info Collapse

Date
January 8, 2024

Creator(s)
Philip E. Manfield, Graham Taylor, Edie Dornbush

Contributor(s)
Lewis Engel, Ricky Greenwald  

More Info Collapse

Extent
12 pages

Publisher
Frontiers

Rights
© 2024 Manfield, Taylor, Dornbush, Engel and Greenwald. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

APA Citation
Manfield, P. E., Taylor, G., Dornbush, E., Engel, L., & Greenwald, R. (2024). Preliminary evidence for the acceptability, safety, and efficacy of the flash technique. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14: 1273704. Open access: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1273704 

Audience
EMDR Therapists, Other Mental Health Professionals

Language
English

Content Type
Article, Peer-Reviewed

Access Type
External Resource, Open Access

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