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EMDR: A Closer Look (Video and Video Manual)
Since the 1980s, the diagnosis and treatment of PTSD has received increased attention from theorists and clinicians alike, resulting in a number of new treatment approaches. Among them, EMDR (eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing) has gained popularity in recent years, although it has been and continues to be shrouded in controversy. In addition to addressing specific criticisms levied against EMDR, this videotape and companion manual offer a brief overview of EMDR's eight-stage model and discuss its application for treating PTSD, anxiety, and depression. The EMDR protocol is demonstrated and discussed on the video by its founder, Francine Shapiro, PhD, through a scripted roleplay in which an actress portrays a female client with PTSD symptoms. Commentary is provided throughout the videotape by Dr. Shapiro as well as several educators and researchers in the field, including Drs. Larry Beutler, Terence Keane, Kim Muesser, and Bessel van der Kolk. The accompanying manual is written by Jon Allen, PhD, Michael Keller, MD, and David Concole, MSW.
Although EMDR: A Closer Look purports to provide the viewer with a critical appraisal of EMDR and its efficacy, the video presentation as a whole appears selectively biased, the "criticisms" appear benign and tend to be couched as "straw man" arguments, and no caveats or limitations regarding its clinical application are offered. The viewer may be particularly struck by a number of unsubstantiated claims espoused in the video. For example, Dr. Beutler at one point contends that "there are many more supportive studies of EMDR than of many other more widely accepted treatments,"...