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The unsolved mystery of psychotherapy: Why is EMDR considered a controversial therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has attracted widespread attention since it was founded by Francine Shapiro in 1987. This psychotherapy method is considered to be an effective way to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but its effectiveness and scientific basis have still caused a lot of controversy in the psychology community. Although many medical organizations, including the World Health Organization and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, support EMDR, many experts have questioned the authenticity of its effectiveness.
EMDR involves left and right eye movements or other bilateral stimulation techniques while recalling the traumatic memory. This unique treatment method has been tried by many people and witnessed its effectiveness, but the scientific community does not recognize the relevant theory.
The Basics of EMDR
EMDR's operating mechanism is based primarily on the assumption that unprocessed traumatic memories can have long-term psychological effects on individuals. It is believed that these memories cannot be processed properly due to excessive negative emotions. By recalling these traumatic events and performing bilateral stimulation, EMDR hopes to help patients reappraise these experiences and reduce their negative emotions. Guidelines from the World Health Organization show that EMDR has similar effects to trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT).
Sources of the controversy
Although EMDR is considered effective in many clinical operations, the academic community has raised many doubts about its effectiveness. Not only have some studies shown that EMDR has similar efficacy to TF-CBT, other critics have pointed out that EMDR's facilitation methods (such as eye movement) lack scientific support and simply do not provide additional benefits.
Many studies have shown that the deep effects of EMDR often come from the inherent psychological interactions in the treatment process rather than its unique stimulation method.
Treatment Results and Guidelines
There is a mixed bag of opinions for and against EMDR therapy; for example, the American Psychological Association's guidelines suggest that it can be used to treat PTSD in adults, but they don't strongly recommend it. According to the results of the Cochrane systematic review, the effectiveness of EMDR in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder is comparable to other psychotherapies, but research on this therapy still has insufficient data and quality issues.
The History of EMDR
EMDR was originally proposed by Shapiro when he was running. As its popularity increases, more and more therapists begin to introduce EMDR into their clinical practice. However, with the sudden increase in numbers, the academic community is eager to further verify the effectiveness of EMDR. Scholars' continuous exploration of the history and evolution of the therapy has revealed its background and also prompted people to think deeply about its efficacy.
EMDR in Culture
In recent years, many celebrities such as Prince Harry and Sandra Bullock have publicly expressed their experiences using EMDR shadowing, and the promotion of these celebrities has undoubtedly brought more attention to the therapy. But this has also put the effectiveness of EMDR under greater scrutiny, with resistance and skepticism coexisting, leading many scholars to call for a more comprehensive evaluation of this treatment method.
As some experts have said, EMDR therapy cannot be regarded as a panacea in the treatment process. Truly effective treatment strategies should be based on scientific data.
Although EMDR has shown certain therapeutic effects in some cases, the scientific basis and true effects behind it are still important controversial topics in the current field of mental health. People can't help but wonder, how to define the truly effective way to treat trauma?
