PTSD and EMDR Therapy: Adaptive Information Processing Typologies

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), developed by Francine Shapiro, is a therapy which is intended to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (1 to 10% of the general population). The technique consists of either eye movements following side-to-side movements of the index and middle finger, or the alternate tapping of the hands on the knees. In the course of this therapy, traumatic memories get less intense and their content seems to change. However, the model of Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) - showing therapeutic processes in EMDR - lacks in its theoretical development, thus preventing from a rigorous description of the cognitive processes at stake. Our aim is to deepen this AIP model on a theoretical and practical level. We consider that the AIP works through 3 types of memory reconsolidation. 1. Associative chain: a memory is linked to other memories 2. Change of scene/ change of perspective: the traumatic scene is visualized through different angles and different colours 3. Archiving: verbalization evokes storage metaphors, emotional vividness weakens