Attachment--and loss.

Erik Eriksen is a remarkable individual. He has no college degrees yet is Professor of Human Development at Harvard University. He came to psychology via art, which explains why the reader will find him painting contexts and backgrounds rather than stating dull facts and concepts. He has been a training psychoanalyst for many years as well as a perceptive observer of cultural and social settings and their effect on growing up. This is not just a book on childhood. It is a panorama of our society. Anxiety in young children, apathy in American Indians, confusion in veterans of war, and arrogance in young Nazis are scrutinized under the psychoanalytic magnifying glass. The material is well written and devoid of technical jargon. The theme of the volume is that it is human to have a long childhood which will leave a lifelong residue of emotional immaturity in man. Primitive groups and

Childhood and Society.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/5/110/206.full.pdf

The american psychological association.

Objective: The authors present a multidimensional meta-analysis of studies published between 1980 and 2003 on psychotherapy for PTSD. Method: Data on variables not previously meta-analyzed such as inclusion and exclusion criteria and rates, recovery and improvement rates, and follow-up data were examined. Results: Results suggest that psychotherapy for PTSD leads to a large initial improvement from baseline. More than half of patients who complete treatment with various forms of cognitive behavior therapy or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing improve. Reporting of metrics other than effect size provides a somewhat more nuanced account of outcome and generalizability. Conclusions: The majority of patients treated with psychotherapy for PTSD in randomized trials recover or improve, rendering these approaches some of the most effective psychosocial treatments devised to date. Several caveats, however, are important in applying these findings to patients treated in the community. Exclusion criteria and failure to address polysymptomatic presentations render generalizability to the population of PTSD patients indeterminate. The majority of patients posttreatment continue to have substantial residual symptoms, and follow-up data beyond very brief intervals have been largely absent. Future research intended to generalize to patients in practice should avoid exclusion criteria other than those a sensible clinician would impose in practice (e.g., schizophrenia), should avoid wait-list and other relatively inert control conditions, and should follow patients through at least 2 years.

/pdf/a-multidimensional-meta-analysis-of-psychotherapy-for-ptsd-1q55lal5th.pdf

A Multidimensional Meta-Analysis of Psychotherapy for PTSD.

Stressors have a major influence upon mood, our sense of well-being, behavior, and health. Acute stress responses in young, healthy individuals may be adaptive and typically do not impose a health burden. However, if the threat is unremitting, particularly in older or unhealthy individuals, the long-term effects of stressors can damage health. The relationship between psychosocial stressors and disease is affected by the nature, number, and persistence of the stressors as well as by the individual's biological vulnerability (i.e., genetics, constitutional factors), psychosocial resources, and learned patterns of coping. Psychosocial interventions have proven useful for treating stress-related disorders and may influence the course of chronic diseases.

Stress and Health: Psychological, Behavioral, and Biological Determinants

Preface. Background. Adaptive Information Processing: The Model as a Working Hypothesis. Components of EMDR Treatment and Basic Treatment Effects. Phase One: Client History. Phases Two and Three: Preparation and Assessment. Phases Four to Seven: Desensitization, Installation, Body Scan, and Closure. Working with Abreaction and Blocks. Phase Eight: Re-evaluation and the Use of the EMDR Standard Three-Pronged Protocol. Protocols and Procedures for Special Situations. The Cognitive Interweave: A Proactive Strategy for Working with Challenging Clients. Selected Populations. Theory, Research, and Clinical Implications. Appendices: A. Clinical Aids. B. Client Safety. C. EMDR Resources.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures

The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of the recently developed Eye Movement Desensitization (EMD) procedure on traumatic memory symptomatology. Twenty-two subjects suffering from symptoms related to traumatic memories were used in the study. All had been victims of traumatic incidents concerning the Vietnam War, childhood sexual molestation, sexual or physical assault, or emotional abuse. Memories of the traumatic incident were pivotal to the presenting complaints which included intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, sleep disturbances, low self-esteem, and relationship problems. Dependent variables were (1) anxiety level, (2) validity of a positive self-statement/assessment of the traumatic incident, and (3) presenting complaints. These measures were obtained at the initial session and at 1- and 3-month follow-up sessions. The results of the study indicated that a single session of the EMD procedure successfully desensitized the subjects' traumatic memories and dramatically altered their cognitive assessments of the situation, effects that were maintained through the 3-month follow-up check. This therapeutic benefit was accompanied by behavioral shifts which included the alleviation of the subjects' primary presenting complaints.

/pdf/efficacy-of-the-eye-movement-desensitization-procedure-in-3d9ru8ric7.pdf

Efficacy of the Eye Movement Desensitization procedure in the treatment of traumatic memories.

Eye movement desensitization: A new treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (2nd ed.).

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is an integrative psychotherapeutic approach that emphasizes the role of the brain's information processing system in ameliorating the somatic and psychological consequences of distressing events. Current emotional problems not caused by organic deficit or physical insults are conceptualized as the result of inappropriately processed memories of disturbing or traumatic experiences. EMDR is an eight-phase treatment, including a tripartite protocol that focuses on the memories underlying current problems and those that must be specifically addressed to bring the client to a robust state of psychological health. One of its distinguishing characteristics is its use of bilateral physical stimulation, such as side-to-side eye movements, alternating hand taps, or alternating auditory tones while the person undergoing treatment is mentally focusing on aspects of various life experiences.


Keywords:

EMDR;
information processing;
trauma;
AIP;
eye movement

Francine Shapiro

Papers

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures

Efficacy of the Eye Movement Desensitization procedure in the treatment of traumatic memories.

Eye movement desensitization: A new treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (2nd ed.).

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing