MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS OF EYE-MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING (EMDR) IN NONCLINICAL ANXIETY - A MULTI-SUBJECT, YOKED-CONTROL DESIGN

Twenty-eight subjects from a university's subject pool were paired on sex, age, severity, and type of stressful or traumatic incident. One s ubject in each pair was selected to receive EMDR; the experimental par tner spent the same amount of time receiving a visual (non-movement) p lacebo. Subjective units of discomfort (SUD) scores and physiological measurements were taken prior to and following treatment. Analysis of physiological measurements and self-reported levels of stress were per formed within and between each group. While the EMDR group showed sign ificant reductions of stress, EMDR was no better than a placebo. This suggests EMDR's specific intervention involving eye movement may not b e a necessary component of the treatment protocol. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd