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[On the relationship between traumatization, amnesia and symptom stress--an empirical pilot study]
1Lehrstuhl für Klinische Psychologie and Psychotherapie der Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken.
Zeitschrift Fur Psychosomatische Medizin Und Psychotherapie
|December 13, 2006
Summary
EMDR therapy increased facial affective behavior and mental complaints in trauma patients. However, this did not lead to symptom reduction or improved emotional numbing, despite better access to affective memory.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychiatry
- Trauma Studies
Context:
- Acutely traumatized patients undergoing Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.
- Emotional numbing is a common symptom in trauma survivors.
- Amnestic tendencies may influence treatment outcomes.
Purpose:
- To examine facial affective behavior changes during EMDR therapy.
- To determine if reduced emotional numbing correlates with symptom reduction.
- To investigate the moderating role of amnestic tendencies.
Summary:
- Facial affective behavior and mental complaints significantly increased during EMDR therapy.
- No significant reduction in symptoms was observed, even with decreased amnestic tendencies.
- Improved access to episodic affective memory was noted, but overall treatment benefit was not definitively established.
Impact:
- Findings suggest EMDR therapy may enhance emotional expression and memory access in trauma patients.
- The study highlights the complexity of symptom resolution and the limited impact of reduced amnestic tendencies on overall symptom reduction.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms and efficacy of EMDR for trauma-related disorders.
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