The overview and long-term follow-up indicate that EMDR was successful in the treatment of both the phantom limb pain and the psychological consequences of amputation. The latter include issues of personal loss, grief, self-image, and social adjustment. These results suggest that (1) a significant aspect of phantom limb pain is the physiological memory storage of the nociceptive pain sensations experienced at the time of the event and (2) these memories can be successfully reprocessed. Further research is needed to explore the theoretical and treatment implications of this information-processing approach.
This article reviews the literature on EMDR treatment of somatic complaints and describes the application of Shapiro’s Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model in the treatment of phantom limb pain. The case study explores the use of EMDR with a 38-year-old man experiencing severe phantom limb pain 3 years after the loss of his leg and part of his pelvis in an accident. Despite treatment at several rehabilitation and pain centers during the 3 years, and the use of opiate medication, he continued to experience persistent pain. After 9 EMDR treatment sessions, the patient’s phantom limb pain was completely ablated, and he was taken off medication. Effects were maintained at 18-month follow-up. The clinical implications of this application of EMDR are explored.
Violence and aggression in the workplace is an increasing international concern. No studies have yet determined the most efficacious psychotherapeutic strategies to alleviate the consequences of workplace violence, and none have identified interventions that might fortify workers who are repeatedly exposed to danger. This case series describes the eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) treatment of seven bank employees and one transportation worker who suffered repeated acute traumatization. The Impact of Events Scale, the Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome 10-Questions Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory were used to measure changes in symptom severity. Results showed that EMDR effectively reduced symptoms and may provide a possible protective buffer in situations of ongoing workplace violence.
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