Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T20:25:29.585Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Treating Spider Phobics with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: A Controlled Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 June 2009

Peter Muris  and
Harald Merckelbach
Peter Muris
Affiliation:
Limburg University, The Netherlands
Harald Merckelbach
Affiliation:
Limburg University, The Netherlands
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

The present study examined the efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in the treatment of a specific phobia. Twenty-four spider phobic subjects were randomly assigned to either (1) an EMDR group (n=8), (2) an imaginal exposure group (n=8), or (3) a control group (n=8). Both the EMDR and the imaginal exposure group underwent a one-hour treatment. The control group initially received no treatment, and waited for one hour. Next, all groups received exposure in vivo. Treatment outcome was evaluated with a standardized Behavioural Avoidance Test (BAT). No evidence was found for EMDR being more effective than imaginal exposure or waiting list control. In fact, only exposure in vivo therapy resulted in significant improvement on the BAT.

Type
Research Article
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 25 , Issue 1 , January 1997 , pp. 39 - 50
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 1997

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Acierno, R., Hersen, M., Hasselt, V. B. Van, Tremont, G., & Mueser, K. T. (1994). Review of the validation and dissemination of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: A scientific and ethical dilemma. Clinical Psychology Review, 14, 287–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Acierno, R., Tremont, G., Last, C., & Montgomery, D. (1994). Tripartite assessment of the efficacy of eye movement desensitization in a multi-phobic patient. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 8, 259–276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, (fourth edition, DSM-IV). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.Google Scholar
Boudewyns, P. A., Stwertka, S. A., Hyer, L. A., Albrecht, J. W., & Sperr, E. V. (1993). Eye movement desensitization for PTSD of combat: A treatment outcome pilot study. The Behavior Therapist, 16, 30–33.Google Scholar
Cavaliere, F. (1995). Team works to quell stress in Bosnia. American Psychiatric Association Monitor, 8.Google Scholar
Eschenröder, C. T. (1995). Augenbewegungs-Desensibilisierung und Umstrukturierung: Eine neue Methode zur Behandlung von Posttraumatischen Belastungsstörungen und Ängsten (EMDR: A new treatment for PTSD and anxiety). Verhaltenstherapie & Psychosoziale Praxis, 27, 341–373.Google Scholar
Frederikson, M. (1983). Reliability and validity of some specific fear questionnaires. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 24, 331–334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldstein, A. & Feske, U. (1994). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for panic disorder: A case series. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 8, 351–362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hellström, K. & Öst, L. G. (1995). One-session therapist directed exposure vs two forms of manual directed self-exposure in the treatment of spider phobia. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 33, 959–965.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Herbert, J. D. & Mueser, K. T. (1992). Eye movement desensitization: A critique of the evidence. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 23, 169–174.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hugdahl, K. (1989). Simple phobias. In Turpin, G. (Ed.), Handbook of clinical psychophysiology. Chichester: Wiley.Google Scholar
Jacobson, N. S., Follette, W. C., & Revenstorf, D. (1984). Psychotherapy outcome research: Methods for reporting variability and evaluating significance. Behavior Therapy, 15, 336–352.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jensen, J. A. (1994). An investigation of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMD/R) as a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms of Vietnam combat veterans. Behavior Therapy, 25, 311–325.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kleinknecht, R. A. (1993). Rapid treatment of blood and injection phobias with eye movement desensitization. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 24, 211–217.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Klorman, R., Weerts, T. C., Hastings, J. E., Melamed, B. G., & Lang, P. J. (1974). Psychometric description of some specific fear questionnaires. Behavior Therapy, 5, 401–409.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lohr, J. M., Kleinknecht, R. A., Conley, A. T., Dal Cerro, S., Schmidt, J., & Sonntag, M. E. (1992). A methodological critique of the current status of eye movement desensitization (EMDR). Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 23, 159–167.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marks, I. M. (1987). Fears, phobias, and rituals. Panic, anxiety, and their disorders. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Marquis, J. N. (1991). A report of seventy-eight cases treated by eye movement desensitization. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 22, 187–192.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maxwell, S. E., Cole, D. A., Arvey, R. D., & Salas, E. (1991). A comparison of methods increasing power in randomized between-subjects designs. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 328–337.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCann, D. L. (1992). Post-traumatic stress disorder due to devastating burns overcome by a single session of eye movement desensitization. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 23, 319–323.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Muris, P., Jong, P. J. de, Merckelbach, H., & Zuuren, F. J. van (1993). Is exposure therapy outcome affected by a monitoring coping style? Advances in Behaviour Research and Therapy, 15, 291–300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muris, P. & Merckelbach, H. (1995). Treating spider phobia with eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing: Two case reports. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 9, 439–449.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Öst, L. G. (1989). One-session treatment for specific phobias. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 27, 1–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Öst, L. G., Salkovskis, P. M., & Hellström, K. (1991). One-session therapist directed exposure vs self-exposure in the treatment of spider phobia. Behavior Therapy, 22, 407–422.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pellicer, X. (1993). Eye movement desensitization treatment of a child's nightmares: A case report. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 24, 73–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Renfrey, G. & Spates, C. R. (1994). Eye movement desensitization: A partial dismantling study. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 25, 231–239.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rosenthal, T. L. (1993). To soothe the savage breast. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 31, 439–462.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sanderson, A. & Carpenter, R. (1992). Eye movement desensitization versus image confrontation: A single session crossover study of 58 phobic subjects. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 23, 269–275.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shapiro, F. (1989a). Efficacy of the eye movement desensitization procedure in the treatment of traumatic memories. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2, 199–223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shapiro, F. (1989b). Eye movement desensitization: A new treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 20, 211–217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shapiro, F. (1991). The eye movement desensitization and reprocessing procedure: From EMD to EMDR: A new treatment model for anxiety and related traumata. The Behavior Therapist, 14, 133–136.Google Scholar
Shapiro, F. (1994a). EMDR: In the eye of a paradigm shift. The Behavior Therapist, 17, 153–156.Google Scholar
Shapiro, F. (1994b). Personal communication. Level 1 EMDR training. Amsterdam, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Solomon, R. & Shapiro, F. (in press). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: An effective therapeutic tool for trauma and grief. In Figley, C. (Ed.), Death and trauma. New York: Brunner Mazel.Google Scholar
Vaughan, K., Armstrong, M. S., Gold, R., O'Connor, N., Jenneke, W., & Tarrier, N. (1994). A trial of eye movement desensitization compared to image habituation training and applied muscle relaxation in post-traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 25, 283–291.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.