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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been consistently evaluated as efficacious in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The information processing model that guides its clinical application posits that EMDR should be effective in treating other psychological disorders that have experiential contributors. Research is needed to assess such applications. This special issue features three case series in which EMDR was applied to the treatment of complex PTSD, phobias, and chronic pain, respectively. The authors discuss deficits in the research literature, provide preliminary data on EMDR treatment of these conditions, and offer descriptive guidelines for evaluation that are achievable by the practicing clinician. Two additional articles offer preliminary data on physiological and cognitive/affective concomitants of therapeutic change. It is argued that clinicians should play a greater role in the rigorous and extensive examination of psychological treatments in the context of the exigencies of clinical practice. Keywords: EMDR; EVT; integration; PTSD; phobia; pain

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an efficacious and efficient treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This article provides a brief overview of the findings of 20 controlled-outcome studies and describes Shapiro's Adaptive Information Processing model. This model posits that pathology results when distressing experiences are processed inadequately and hypothesizes that EMDR accelerates information processing, resulting in the adaptive resolution of traumatic memories. A detailed description of the eight phases of treatment highlights the procedures, assumptions, and clinical observations that currently guide EMDR clinical practice. A case study, with an in-session transcript, illustrates the application of EMDR to address the past events that have laid the groundwork for dysfunction, the present circumstances that elicit distress, and skills acquisition needed for adaptive functioning Keywords: EMDR; PTSD; treatment process; information processing

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) was one of the first treatments of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to be evaluated in controlled research and has to date been empirically supported by 13 such studies. This article reviews the historical context and empirical research of EMDR over the past dozen years. Historically, EMDR's name has caused confusion in that 'desensitization' is considered to be only a by-product of reprocessing and because the eye movement component of EMDR is only one form of dual stimulation to be successfully used in this integrative approach. Research is needed to determine the comparative efficacy of EMDR relative to cognitive-behavioral treatments of PTSD. However, this has been hampered by the lack of independent replication studies of the latter treatments. Current component analyses of EMDR have failed to effectively evaluate the relative weighting of its procedures. Parameters for future research and the testing of protocols for diverse disorders are suggested. Keywords: EMDR; PTSD; eye movement; research; components; information processing