Psience Quest

Quote:Deborah Korn

is a psychotherapist, teacher, clinical consultant and researcher who has been on the faculty of the EMDR Institute for more than 27 years. She currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research and is an adjunct training faculty member at the Trauma Research Foundation. She is the co-author, with Michael Baldwin, of Every Memory Deserves Respect (2021). She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Quote:Finally, EMDR is no longer regarded as a simple technique or protocol where therapists are encouraged to stay out of the way while the patient’s brain does the work; it has evolved into a comprehensive psychotherapy that emphasises the moment-to-moment attunement and collaboration, the relationship, between client and therapist. I tell all my patients: ‘I’m going to be with you every step of the way. I’m not going to let you drown.’ EMDR therapists strive to recognise and validate their patients’ wisdom, provide healthy perspectives, and keep them emotionally regulated during their sessions. We bear witness to their pain and meet them, again and again and again, with deep compassion, reminding them of their courage and strength, and helping them know that they’re not alone any more.

Quote:Paul Wertzberger

A smidge of critical balance to this infomercial would be welcome. Yes, EMDR can be and has been helpful to many trauma survivors, but it is not a panacea and as the author demonstrates, contains all of the contextual elements that any good therapy should contain (empathy, warmth, positive regard, safety, validation, etc.); as well as proven behavioral (exposure) and cognitive restructuring processes. Williams’ and Sakaluk’s essay in Aeon provides a great critique on the evidence of evidence based therapies:

https://aeon.co/ideas/the-evidence-for-e...we-thought

Spoiler alert: While psychotherapy is effective, EMDR and other evidence-based treatments may not be all they are cracked up to be.