Stress management with law enforcement personnel: A controlled outcome study of EMDR versus a traditional stress management program

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has been shown to be e ffective for treating posttraumatic stress disorder, but its efficacy as a stress management tool for normal individuals in highly stressful occupatio ns has not been demonstrated. Sixty-two police officers were randomly assig ned to either EMDR or a standard stress management program (SMP), each cons isting of 6 hours of individualized contact. At completion, officers in the EMDR condition provided lower ratings on measures of PTSD symptoms, subjec tive distress, job stress, and anger; and higher marital satisfaction ratin gs than those in SMP. The effects of EMDR were maintained at the 6-month fo llow-up, indicating enduring gains from a relatively brief treatment regime n for this subclinical sample of officers who were experiencing some level of stress from their job.