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Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
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<p>Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a form of <a href="/facts/Psychotherapy/n2hDjaop">psychotherapy</a> designed to treat <a href="/facts/Post-traumatic_stress_disorder/9etKu7bX">post-traumatic stress disorder</a> (PTSD). It was devised by <a href="/facts/Francine_Shapiro/HkjSahrD">Francine Shapiro</a> in 1987. </p><p>EMDR involves talking about traumatic memories while engaging in side-to-side eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation. It is also used for some other psychological conditions. </p><p>EMDR is recommended for the treatment of PTSD by various government and medical bodies citing varying levels of evidence, including the <a href="/facts/World_Health_Organization/YNN3bgug">World Health Organization</a>, the UK <a href="/facts/National_Institute_for_Health_and_Care_Excellence/83vtP8Lk">National Institute for Health and Care Excellence</a>, the Australian <a href="/facts/National_Health_and_Medical_Research_Council/YPuyWL6y">National Health and Medical Research Council</a>, and the US Departments of <a href="/facts/United_States_Department_of_Veterans_Affairs/oIxJ2vDE">Veterans Affairs</a> and <a href="/facts/United_States_Department_of_Defense/dWAvf7e3">Defense</a>. The <a href="/facts/American_Psychological_Association/907fEfuc">American Psychological Association</a> does not endorse EMDR as a first-line treatment, but indicates that it is probably effective for treating adult PTSD. </p><p>Systematic analyses published since 2013 generally indicate that EMDR treatment efficacy for adults with PTSD is equivalent to trauma-focused cognitive and behavioral therapies (TF-CBT), such as <a href="/facts/Prolonged_exposure_therapy/Qa2g4A09">Prolonged exposure therapy</a> (PE) and <a href="/facts/Cognitive_Processing_Therapy/YgPXfprs">Cognitive Processing Therapy</a> (CPT). However, bilateral stimulation does not contribute substantially, if at all, to treatment effectiveness. The predominant therapeutic factors in EMDR and TF-CBT are <a href="/facts/Exposure_therapy/sB8TYx97">exposure</a> and various components of <a href="/facts/Cognitive-behavioral_therapy/LRALDkkU">cognitive-behavioral therapy</a>. </p><p>Because eye movements and other bilateral stimulation techniques do not uniquely contribute to EMDR treatment efficacy, EMDR has been characterized as a <a href="/facts/Purple_hat_therapy/A36v0lbm">purple hat therapy</a>, i.e., its effectiveness is due to the same therapeutic methods found in other evidence-based psychotherapies for PTSD, namely exposure therapy and CBT techniques, without any contribution from its distinctive add-ons. </p>