Examination of the Effectiveness of EMDR Intervention in Children with Animal Phobias: Case Study

Abstract

This study aims to examine the effectiveness of EMDR interventions for two different children with animal phobias through case studies. In the interventions conducted with the children in this study, facilitative techniques such as allowing the children to express themselves through drawings were utilized in addition to EMDR procedures. The study utilized a multiple case study design, which is among qualitative research methods. One of the cases is a 9-year-old boy who developed a phobic condition related to dogs after being attacked by a dog and experiencing psychological distress associated with his dog phobia in daily life (such as running towards home, increased heart rate, screaming when seeing a dog on his way home from school). The second case is a 10-year-old boy who developed a phobic condition related to insects after being stung by a bug while sleeping and experiencing fear of bugs in nature, such as during a picnic, and having difficulties sleeping alone. In this study, narrative analysis was utilized in the data analysis to describe the experiences of Client-1 and Client-2 regarding their phobic conditions and to present their narratives related to EMDR intervention in a chronological and holistic manner. According to the research findings, EMDR interventions conducted with two children (C1 and C2) who had animal phobias were found to have a positive impact on their phobic conditions.