Investigaton of Eye Movement Desensitization in Pain Clinic Patients

Abstract

Twenty-seven pain clinic patients referred for psychological treatment received Eye Movement Desensitization (EMD) as a major part of their treatment. Their progress was monitored using generalized measures with a three month follow-up. All patients responded to EMD in the session. Subsequently, nineteen completed treatment of whom twelve were successful and seven clear failures. Seven dropped out before completing treatment and one result was not clear. Overall the group showed a large decrease in some, but not all, psychological measures. There was some return of symptoms in the group over the three month follow-up. Neural networks are identified as the probable source of theoretical explanations of this procedure.