Fornits
General Interest => Open Free for All => Topic started by: Anonymous on April 04, 2004, 11:22:00 AM
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Here's the link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dy ... ge=printer (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A20813-2004Mar1?language=printer)
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To be chosen for the study, the patients -- all victims of assaults unrelated to combat -- must have moderate to severe post-traumatic stress disorder unresponsive to other drugs and therapies, and will first engage in preliminary therapy sessions with the Mithoefers. Twelve participants will get the drug, and eight will get a placebo. Each will spend that first session talking, listening to music and lying on a couch as needed -- though study rules require that at a certain point each patient must engage in a discussion about the trauma that has left him or her debilitated..
History gives us a kind of chart, and we dare not surrender even a small rushlight in the darkness. The hasty reformer who does not remember the past will find himself condemned to repeat it.
--John Buchan
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I think some of here qualify.
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I think so too.
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.
Douglas Adams, _Last Chance to See_
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EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a new controversial form of therapy. It was developed by Francine Shapiro Ph.D., in 1987. Dr. Shapiro was in a park and was thinking about some unpleasant memories. She noticed that when she moved her eyes back and forth that the intensity of the negative emotions of these unpleasant memories seemed to dissipate. This incident was followed by intense studies and in 1989, Dr. Shapiro reported that she was having success using EMDR to treat trauma.
In fact, Dr. Shapiro and many other therapists trained in using EMDR state that only a few sessions of this form of treatment can do what man months of traditional talk therapy can do if that. In fact, some mental health clinicians do not feel that traditional talk therapy assists with treating trauma.
So what really is EMDR and how does it work? During EMDR sessions, the therapist asks the client to think about a traumatic event and at the same time, move their eyes rapidly - following the movement of a pencil or a finger by the therapist. What is happening during this process and why this seems to work is still unknown. However there are some theories.
It has been learned that painful or traumatic experiences are stored in a different place in the brain than are pleasant or neutral ones. Normally we work through these negative experiences by talking about it, dreaming about it, etc. We are able to put it behind us.
However many traumatic experiences seem to be "stuck" in the brain. Even after years of talk therapy, the intensity of painful feelings about a particular trauma could remain the same without change. Some people feel that EMDR is able to "un-stick" these experiences so that it reconnects with the healthy brain and then is reprocessed and integrated at an accelerated speed.
The theory is that the rapid eye movement in EMDR creates similar brain activity to REM (rapid eye movement) that we experience during sleep. This REM assists us in processing ideas and resolves conflicts. We are able to work through things. We still retain the memory but without the emotional pain and the feelings of smell, taste, etc. of the event.
A number of scientific studies have shown EMDR to be effective. The Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology published by Wilson, Becker, and Tinker in December, 1995 studied 80 subjects with PTSD using EMDR treatment. The study appeared to show that the subjects improved significantly with this form of treatment and further study showed that this improvement was seen for at least 15 months later.
Many other similar studies of EMDR have been done showing that EMDR is highly effective and the results are long lasting. I encourage you to check out these studies at http://www.emdr.com/ (http://www.emdr.com/) where you will also be able to write or call and ask for therapists trained in EMDR in your area.
EMDR does not just treat trauma patients. Clinicians have noted success with this treatment in these areas:
Ptsd
Panic attacks
Addictions
Dissociative disorders
Disturbing memories
Anxiety disorders
Phobias
Performance anxiety
Stress reduction
Complicated grief
Sexual and/or physical abuse
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Why say MDMA in the title? :???:
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Please disregard the above question. I was viewing the topic backwards, and didn't see the link. :grin: