Customer Reviews

Do-It-Yourself Eye Movement Techniques for Emotional Healing

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Because I've read four other books on EMDR, including its founder's (Eileen Shapiro), I can better critique this book. But, on reflection, it has occurred to me that one wouldn't need to know all the EMDR background in order to benefit from this great handbook.

The author allows two methods: eye movement, which you can do yourself by rapidly moving your eyes far left, then far right in steady succession for three minutes. However, this gets tiring and I found the knee tapping less tiring and very effective. So far, I've diminished a severe phobia, cured my fear of heights (by imaging me on top of a stopped ferris wheel), and removed my image of anger toward a parent. I have a short list of other cures I will be doing. The phobia will probably take two more sessions.

I definitely prefer my own livingroom over having a therapist watch me. Many people prefer self-hypnosis for the same reason, albeit a different type of cure. EMT has far surpassed any kind of hypnosis in my case.

This book is a Godsend.

The idea of "be cautious" should apply to any books on the power of the mind... but should not prevent people from learning to use that power. I found the book to be interesting, informative, easy to read (MUCH easier than Shapiro's books) and definately recommend it. I also found that the technique for pain control works... at least for me.

The claim championed for Friedberg's Eye Movement Technique (EMT) that it may be used to "rapidly reduce emotional stress and redirect thinking in a positive, rational and optimistic way" (p.2) Perhaps permanently, and without the expense of multiple professional therapy sessions! Although cautious to advise sufferers of recurrent trauma (including PTSD, mood & personality disorders) against self-treatment as a sole pathway to emotional stress relief, Friedberg puts forth a structured set of protocols for self-paced therapeutic implementation. Much of the first half of the book is concerned with the stress, stressors, and the promise of EMT in countering stress-related tension and incapacity. Numerous theories attempting to explain the stress-reducing phenomenon following EMT sessions are too briefly discussed, with varying degrees of plausibility. For the practicing therapist or self-healer this is perhaps not a failing of the book, but I was surprised not to find a section dealing with at least the sensory physiology adjunct to applying EMT, or any discussion of its potential interaction with the psychophysiology of the stress experience it seeks to alleviate.

In the 5th (?how to do it? DIY) chapter, we are introduced to the technique itself in a step-by-step fashion, the reader being led through a series of stages with clearly marked progression or repeat indicants given at each stage. One progression (perhaps surprising to the reader, especially given Friedberg's chosen title) is the suggestion that the use of oscillatory eye movements be abandoned, and replaced instead by finger movements. Indeed, the latter would appear to be Friedberg's preferred method of therapeutic interaction with his own clients (though he still calls it EMT?). This instead uses a distractive flip-flop bimanual tapping his clients' hands or shoulders whilst having them silently ponder on questions reminiscent of the therapy school?s of thought derived from Roget or Ellis.

The latter half of the volume is exclusively devoted to providing case studies and extracts of actual therapy sessions from the author?s own clinical archives. Each of these later chapters deal with specific concerns (phobia, panic, chronic pain, personal and social anxieties) with accompanying procedures being retold amidst success stories, mostly with a positive outcome for the client. The most remarkable and repeated claim, however, is not for EMT providing relief across such a wide range of conditions, but in its speed of efficacy -- often within a single session, without requiring repeated administration.

For those trying to help manage, or those actually suffering from the effects of pre-clinical emotional stress conditions, EMT remains worthy of investigation. I would suggest that EMT (albeit received in the form of oscillatory eye movements or bimanual tapping) might at the very least prove a good vehicle in actively disrupting recurrent ruminations and the often-repeated intrusions into ongoing thought processes familiar to the sufferer of emotional stress. Whether Friedberg?s EMT does any more than merely interrupt worrisome replays by distraction (think here of your own experience of trying to get rid of a tune that keeps ?going around in your head?), his own case archive would seem to suggest a high degree of success with the technique(s) as illustrated in this volume. Add it to the therapy bookshelf between Rational Emotive Therapy and Biofeedback
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If you want to deal with your stress, anxiety, phobia and panic with an easy technique, this is the book you must have. This book is very informative and helpful, written with plain language. Dr. Friedberg is a wonderful Psychologist, and all the info in book is based on his own clinical practice and experience

This book will be helpful to anyone who works in the field of counselling and therapy as well as anyone suffering from any stress or anxiety. It is based on well researched techniques.

There is little question that the psychotherapy EMT is taken from, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), is highly effective, several cautions are in order. First, the originator of EMDR cautions against clients trying it on their own. The possibility of tapping into material a client might have difficulty processing on her/his own is very real. This is particularly true of trauma reactions where even in research settings over 60% of the subjects have had abreactions - continuing EMT while abreacting would be very difficult. Second, EMDR itself is still being researched and some debate exists as to what the "active ingredient" is - the eye movements, something else, or some combination. It is not clear that EMT includes all the possible ingredients. Third, the authors offer case histories of this new application but, as with many other derived applications of EMDR, no real research. This is not to say that EMT or a form of it might not prove to be effective but with a therapeutic tool as potentially powerful as EMDR, people would be well advised to be cautious and to do some research on EMDR on their own, perhaps starting with the writings of Francine Shapiro, the originator of EMDR.

This book describes an eye movement technique that has no published track record and nothing reviewed by experts to back it up. Some readers might be lucky. But I can tell you from personal experience that using the eye movements alone can cause major emotional distress. Don't take a chance on making things worse!

Without sufficient preparation using eye movements on your own can cause you to bring up very distressing emotions. The book contains no research and should not be confused with EMDR