Intervening Early With EMDR on Military Operations

A Case Study

The U.K. armed forces are currently involved in a number of military operations throughout the world. Offering structured psychological interventions such as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in theater has a number of potential advantages. This single-case study describes how the EMDR recent event protocol (Shapiro, 1995) was used in theater with a 27-year-old active-duty U.K. soldier who was experiencing an acute stress reaction after treating a land mine casualty. The intervention took place 2 weeks posttrauma with four sessions conducted on consecutive days, resulting in a positive outcome, with the soldier able to return immediately to frontline duties. Treatment response was assessed with administration of four standardized measures at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 18-month follow-up. Treatment effects remained at 18-month follow-up. The challenges of conducting EMDR in operational theaters and clinical implications are explored.