Complex Trauma and EDMR Therapy: A Case Study Analysis

This case study examines the application of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EDMR) therapy in treating complex trauma. The document begins by defining complex trauma and its symptoms, including shame, trust issues, and emotional dysregulation, and then introduces EDMR as a psychotherapy approach. It details the eight phases of EDMR therapy, including history taking, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation of positive beliefs, body scan, closure, and reprocessing. A literature review supports the use of EDMR for various conditions, such as sexual abuse, self-harming behaviors, and PTSD. The case study focuses on Marie Douglas, a 25-year-old woman with a history of date rape and subsequent anxiety, and demonstrates the application of EDMR through its phases. The case highlights how EDMR helps clients process traumatic memories, reduce negative beliefs, and improve emotional regulation, ultimately leading to positive outcomes, such as reduced anxiety and improved relationships. The case study concludes by emphasizing the therapy's effectiveness and the importance of future research and clinician training.

Eye Desensitization Movement and Reprocessing (EDMR) and its
impact on Complex Trauma

What is Complex Trauma?
• Complex trauma is an interpersonal challenge
that exploits a feeling of being trapped
(Tarocchi et al., 2013).
• It can be planned, extreme, ongoing or
repeated.
• The impacts of the trauma are more severe,
persistent and often cumulative.
• This causes the individual to combat shame,
trust issues, reduced self esteem, regulating
emotions and identity crisis (Cook et al., 2017).

• The individual might develop coping strategies like substance abuse,
excessive work, overeating, self harm etc.
• This impacts the well being of the individual negatively impacting the
health and emotion. It impacts their family life and daily activities as
well.
What is Complex Trauma?

Victims of Complex trauma
disorder
• Partner violence
• Chronic sexual, psychological or physical
abuse
• Victims of kidnapping and hostage
• Indentured Servants
• Victims of slavery
• Human trafficking
• Sweatshop workers
• Neglect

Symptoms of Complex trauma
disorder

The four stress responses

Treatment of Complex trauma
• Psychotherapy
• Eye desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
• Medication

What is EDMR?
• Eye movement desensitization and
reprocessing (EMDR) is a treatment
process that is exploited to attenuate the
distress that is related with traumatic
memories, it reformulates negative
believes and reduction in physiological
arousal (Shapiro, 2014).
• This exploits therapist directed lateral
eye movements are most common but
there are other stimuli which includes
hand tapping and audio stimulus.

EDMR
• The principle of EDMR is that this therapy exploits the individual’s
rapid, rhythmic eye movements which dampen the potential of the
emotionally charged memories of the traumatic events that occurred
in the past.
• EDMR therapy is a eight phase therapy and the eye movements are
exploited in one part of the session.
• The client’s thoughts, feelings and behaviour are the natural outcome
of the therapy that are observed and are considered to be the robust
indicators of the emotional health and resolution of the individual
undertaking the EDMR therapy (Shapiro & Forrest, 2016).

EMDR Phase 1
• This phase is known as the history taking session and
based on that a treatment plan is made by the
therapist.
• This phase emphasises on the specific skills
development and behaviours that will be required by
the client in the future (Shapiro, 2017).
• It is directed at the childhood events rather than the
adult onset stressors (Pagani et al., 2013).
• The clients gain insight of the situations and resolves
the emotional distress with aid of the therapy and start
to change their behaviour.

• The therapist ensures that the client handles the
emotional distress in a variety of different ways.
• This phase ensures educating the client about
various imaginary as well as the stress reduction
techniques that is exploited by the client during
the sessions and in between as well (McDonald,
Borntrager, & Rostad, 2014).
• The objective of this phase is to produce rapid and
effective change in the client and ensuring client
maintains the equilibrium (Chen et al., 2015).
EMDR Phase 2

• It is during this phase that the therapist identifies the components of
the target.
• The client then selects the best image that describes the incident and
selects a negative cognition that describes a dysfunctional,
maladaptive self assessment in relation to the participation of the
client in the incident (Novo et al., 2014).
• This negative cognition is measured in 1 to 10 subject units of
disturbance (SUD) (Wesselmann, 2013).
EMDR Phase 3