Does rapid eye movement desensitization facilitate emotional processing?

Recent years have seen considerable interest in rapid eye movement desensitization (REMD), a novel procedure for the treatment of traumatic memories and related conditions. REM is usually administered as a component of a broader therapeutic procedure, now termed eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). On the basis of previous and largely uncontrolled work, it is not clear to what degree therapeutic gains can be attributed exclusively to REMD. Following exposure to a contrived trauma, Ss were allocated to one of three conditions: REMD; slow eye movement desensitization (SEMD); and stationary-imagery (SI; i.e. no eye movement). Emotional processing was significantly impaired in the REMD group compared to the SEMD and SI groups. No significant differences were found between the SEMD and SI groups.