Psychophysiological Studies of EMDR

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) has been established as an efficacious therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The working mechanism of the procedure is, however, still partly unknown. It is therefore important to explore the physiological effects of eye movements and alternative bilateral stimulation. This article describes our research on the effects of eye movements during authentic EMDR sessions of chronic PTSD in refugees with war and torture experiences and places this research in the context of other findings. The findings point to defi nite physiological effects of eye movements; namely a dearousal with increased fi nger temperature and changes in the balance between the parasympathetic and sympathetic autonomous nervous systems.