Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures (Hardcover)

by Francine Shapiro (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
It is already considereda treatment of choice by many....A number of recent, rather convincing studies have established EMDR as a legitimate and powerful treatment -- Professional Psychology

Shapiro has integrated elements from many different schools of psychotherapy into her protocols, making EMDR applicable to a variety of clinical populations and accessible to clinicians from different orientations -- Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD, Boston University, editor of Traumatic Stress: The Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body, and Society

This pragmatic book is important as the definitive presentation of the EMDR method. Shapiro's text describes an efficient and structured clinical method in psychology....The heart of this responsible text delineates a complex approach to PTSD and related disorders. Clinicians will welcome its detailed explanation, honed over five years' experience using EMDR and training practitioners in the method....This is a well-written book. The language throughout is clear and informative, and obvious care went into detailed descriptions of the clinical procedures and related cautions -- Contemporary Psychology, 1996, Vol. 41 No. 9

[EMDR is] a significant component of treatment in the Trauma Recovery Program at the Menninger Clinic....The publication of Shapiro's book is a developmental milestone for EMDR. The volume should be welcome to clinicians and researchers alike as a comprehensive explication of the treatment and its applications. Although developed initially to treat symptoms of posttraumatic stress, EMDR subsequently has been extended to a range of other problems and disorders. EMDR has won a large number of enthusiasts among clinicians who have experienced success with it and patients who feel that they have benefited from it -- Jon G. Allen, PhD, and Lisa Lewis, PhD, in the Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic

Review

"The first seven years of experience with EMDR has shown that it can be a very effective treatment of PTSD. Shapiro's method has opened up a novel approach that can markedly benefit people suffering from PTSD, while baffling those of us who would like to understand mechanisms of action with traditional paradigms." --Bessel A. van der Kolk, M.D.

"Finally it is here!! This long awaited text by Dr. Shapiro helps ground clinicians both novice and experienced in EMDR to the origins, evolution, description, and uses of this effective accelerated information processing method. EMDR, which promotes patients' mastery over rather than depletion by overwhelming life experiences, is captured vividly through case descriptions, bountiful examples, and specific verbalizations. Dr. Shapiro's ability to walk the clinician through familiar clinical terrain in a novel way allows for a comfortable shift from more traditional therapeutic modalities to more innovative and targeted treatment strategies applied to diverse diagnostic categories. This book is an essential addition to the library of the forward thinking clinician." --Catherine G. Fine, Ph.D., Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA

1. "Excellent! A practical, step-by-step guide to the EMDR approach. This book will be an invaluable aid both for therapists who are first learning this model as well as for experienced EMDR practitioners."

2. "EMDR has generated a great deal of controversy. Thankfully, Shapiro's book is successful in summarizing the available outcome data on EMDR and in presenting plausible hypotheses for its mode of operation. Her reasoning appears scientifically sound and responsible."

3. "Throughout this volume, Shapiro has wisely included transcripts of interchanges between clients and therapists that illustrate the application of EMDR. She also provides helpful suggestions on exactly what to do when clients get stuck or progress seems slow." --Jeffrey Young, Ph.D., Cognitive Therapy Centers of New York & Fairfield County (CT)

"Finally, the definitive text on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing! Shapiro's writing style is very accessible. Complex concepts seem to flow off the page and into one's mind. Each is presented in a clear and concise manner. The detailed descriptions and practical applications of virtually every aspect of EMDR makes this book a valuable resource. The presentation of the supportive research material is particularly important for those practicing this new and powerful tool in the treatment of traumatic stress. The book will not only serve mental health professionals who are newly trained in EMDR therapy, but it will be an important handbook for the experienced EMDR clinician." --Jeffrey T. Mitchell, Ph.D., President, International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Ellicott City, Maryland; Clinical Associate Professor, Emergency Health Services Department, University of Maryland

"Francine Shapiro proposes a method of working rapidly and effectively with a class of problems that have been considered quite intractable--and it involves more than just waving a magic wand. So if you want to learn how she does it, or criticize her intelligently, take a good look at this book." --John Weakland, Ch.E. (Chemical Engineer), Senior Research Fellow, MRI (Mental Research Institute)

"This book and the treatment Shapiro invented will force a paradigm shift in the way we conceptualize traumatic experiences, the unwanted psychosocial consequences they cause, and the most humane methodologies for affecting relief. For this alone the book will become a classic." --Charles R. Figley, Ph.D., Florida State University, Tallahasse, Florida

"EMDR is a proven elixir for psychological trauma and its sequelae. Clinicians: Restore life to your treatment; learn this imaginative new method."
(OR)
"Trauma can rack the brains of clients and clinicians, alike. EMDR is a proven elixir. Therapists: Restore life to your treatment. Learn this imaginative new method." --Jeffrey K. Zeig, Ph.D., Director, The Milton H. Erickson Foundation

"EMDR is an exciting development. Dr. Shapiro's attention to careful treatment planning, detailed protocols, and research data makes this valuable volume essential reading for clinicians interested in applying this method for time-effective treatment. I recommend it." --Michael F. Hoyt, Ph.D., Author, Brief Therapy and Managed Care; Editor, Constructive Therapies, Vols. 1 & 2.

"The writing is clear with general guidelines balanced by exemplary case illustrations to illustrate specific procedures and sample phrases to be used by the therapist. ..the description of the benefits to be expected is balanced throughout by descriptions of the special precautions, possible side effects, difficult populations encountered and procedural variations needed." --Nathan Azrin, Ph.D. , Full Professor, Nova Southeastern university, Fort Lauderdale, FL for Psychotherapy in Private Practice

"For visual learners, this book is a welcome complement to the primarily verbal and experiential EMDR training workshops. Shapiro also trained as a literary critic, has included 18 pages of references and four helpful appendices to round out this well-written book." --Lawrence F. Berley, M.D., Erickson Foundation Newsletter.

"The Accelerated Information Processing model of EMDR rapidly focuses and sharpens traditional psychotherapeutic skills with fresh insights that introduce new levels of competence and accountability." --Ernest Rossi, Ph.D. , Author: The Psychobiology of Mind-Body Healing.

"EMDR is a valuable addition to our therapeutic arsenal. It is not a panacea, but it has tremendous power in addressing the sequelae of trauma and a wide variety of psychological problems." --Richard P. Kluft, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Temple University School of Medicine, author: Childhood Antecedents of Multiple Personality Disorder

"The speed at which change occurs during EMDR contradicts the traditional notion of time as essential for psychological healing. Shapiro has integrated elements from many different schools of psychotherapy into her protocols, making EMDR applicable to a variety of clinical populations and accessible to clinicians from different orientations." --Bessel A. van der Kolk, M.D., Boston University, author: Traumatic Stress: The Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body, and Society

"People often have 'stuck issues' such as phobias, or attitudes about themselves, or tendencies to 'freeze' on the verge of doing something they would really like to do. These stuck issues persist even with a clear understanding of their senselessness and quite often even after many years of otherwise productive psychotherapy. EMDR is a highly effective clinical approach leading to the rapid resolution of chronic psychological problems like these. It has changed the way in which I practice psychotherapy and has enabled me to help my patients resolve issues which had previously seemed unrelenting." --Sandra Shapiro, Ph.D. , Private Practice, New York City, Board Member, National Institute for the Psychotherapies, Associate Professor of Psychology, City University of New York

"EMDR has bridged the mind-body connection and moved psychotherapy into the 21st Century. It is exciting to see this new book on EMDR designed for the consumer and the curious professional." --Ron Doctor, Professor of Psychology, California State University, co-author: The Encyclopedia of Fears, Phobias, and Anxiety

"Dr. Francine Shapiro's EMDR is the most powerful and integrative intervention I have learned in the past five years." --John C. Norcross, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, University of Scranton, coauthor of Changing for Good and Handbook of Psychotherapy Integration

"EMDR is a novel approach to the treatment of the traumatized that has blossomed over the last few years into a more general approach to treatment. It is now being applied by its practitioners to a wide variety of clinical conditions...This eagerly-awaited book is the first from which clinicians can study this rapidly-growing form of psychotherapy...[The author] writes well and she writes responsibly. She addresses the special concerns one must raise in treating the newly traumatized, and offers appropriate cautions about the use of EMDR with dissociative disorder patients...Few new therapies have been introduced by such a thoughtful and circumspect first text...There is an enjoyable freshness, optimism, and energy to this book, which commends it well to the reader...EMDR appears to be an approach to therapy worth exploring, especially in the treatment of the traumatized, and Shapiro's text launches it well." --Richard P. Kluft, American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis

"[EMDR is] a significant component of treatment in the Trauma Recovery Program at the Menninger Clinic....The publication of Shapiro's book is a developmental milestone for EMDR. The volume should be welcome to clinicians and researchers alike as a comprehensive explication of the treatment and its applications. Although developed initially to treat symptoms of posttraumatic stress, EMDR subsequently has been extended to a range of other problems and disorders. EMDR has won a large number of enthusiasts among clinicians who have experienced success with it and patients who feel that they have benefited from it." --Jon G. Allen, Ph.D., and Lisa Lewis, Ph.D., in the Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic

"In a very few years, EMDR has grown from a bizarre sounding new technique to the most extensively researched treatment for PTSD (with numerous additional applications also being pursued)....A number of recent, rather convincing studies has established EMDR as a legitimate and powerful treatment." --Professional Psychology: Research and Practice

"....This pragmatic book is important as the definitive presentation of the EMDR method. Shapiro's text describes an efficient and structured clinical method in psychology....The heart of this responsible text delineates a complex approach to PTSD and related disorders. Clinicians will welcome its detailed explanation, honed over five years' experience using EMDR and training practitioners in the method....This is a well-written book. The language throughout is clear and informative, and obvious care went into detailed descriptions of the clinical procedures and related cautions. Several case examples and five annotated transcripts nicely illustrate subtleties in the method and the therapist's client-centered role...." --Contemporary Psychology

"In a very few years, EMDR has grown from a bizarre sounding new technique to the most extensively researched treatment for PTSD (with numerous additional applications also being pursued)....A number of recent, rather convincing studies have established EMDR as a legitimate and powerful treatment." --Professional Psychology

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Hardcover: 398 pages Publisher: The Guilford Press; annotated edition edition (April 24, 1995) Language: English ISBN-10: 0898629608 ISBN-13: 978-0898629606 Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #267,284 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) #34 in  Books > Health, Mind & Body > Mental Health > Post-traumatic Stress Disorder #85 in  Books > Science > Medicine > Specialties > Ophthalmology #87 in  Books > Health, Mind & Body > Personal Health > Stress > Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

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Citations (learn more)

16 books cite this book:

• Military Veterans PTSD Reference Manual by I. S. Parrish on page 34, and page 159
• Bad Therapy: Master THerapists Share Their Worst Failures by Jeffrey Kottler on page 75
• Bad Therapy: Master Therapists Share Their Worst Failures by Jeffrey Kottler on page 75
• Practical Psychic Self-Defense: Understanding and Surviving Unseen Influences by Robert Bruce in Back Matter
• EMDR Casebook: Expanded Second Edition by Philip Manfield on page 19

See all 16 books citing this book

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews 5 star:  (9) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.8 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 40 of 42 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A practical step-by-step guide for therapists using EMDR, April 16, 2001 By A Customer This very readable book was written by EMDR originator Francine Shapiro to provide detailed directions for therapists using this approach. Beginning with descriptions of the historical development and theoretical model, the book provides a thorough overview of the treatment process. Several chapters describe each of the eight phases of treatment; information is also provided about working with special populations and with difficult treatment issues. EMDR was first developed as a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the book summarizes the research investigating EMDR treatment of PTSD, most of which supports its effectiveness with this disorder. Research has shown preliminary support for EMDR's use with other disorders (e.g., phobias), and the treatment protocols for these approaches are described in detail. Recommendations are made for future research to further evaluate EMDR's effectiveness and to investigate what eye movements, and other treatment components, contribute to treatment effects. This book is an indispensable resource for the therapist who uses EMDR as part of an integrative treatment plan. 26 of 29 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars excellent information on EMDR, September 23, 2000 By A Customer this was an excellent book for learning more about EMDR....it is written more with the therapist in mind than the client...but for a client who wishes to read on the subject before submitting to the process of EMDR...it will help to explain it very well..... 56 of 68 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Promising intervention with unpromising reservations , August 20, 2004 By  JackOfMostTrades "Jack" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews This review is from: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures, 2nd Edition (Hardcover) EMDR may be an excellent form of overcoming trauma, and the research tends to suggest it does, although if you read the literature in a disinterested way, you will find there are many mixed reports on study results. Some find EMDR equal to or better than Cog/Beh Therapy intervention; some find it better; some find it not as effective. As someone who has conducted experimental research, I wish to point out several issues that should be addressed, even for true believers. First, EMDR is a perfect intervention for a technological age: after all, don't all our life's problems supposedly have a technological solution. Our culture says so, but of course, history tells us otherwise. Spiritual meaning, social integration, a personal credo, culture and religion still appear to be the ingredients that hold us together..or as Paul Tillich says, "Our ground of being." Technology may be helpful but it is ultimately ancillary. Of course, those who suffer from trauma may require immediate relief, and if EMDR can reduce suffering efficiently and quickly, that's fine. HOWEVER, that being said, one must look a bit further. First, one must consider the individual client him/herself. EMDR helps us return to a traumatic event, see it more objectively, and hopefully allows us to use our reasoning faculties which may not have been in play during such events owing to stress, shock, immaturity, ignorance, and so forth. However, we all have varied levels of experiencing or "reliving" memory. Some can visualize quite easily and can "see" the experience as vividly, even more vividly than the true life one. In keeping with Gardner's idea of "multiple intelligences," we should consider that different individuals have different "intelligences" in reconstructing or reliving events. Furthermore, we should consider that individuals have varying degrees in their ability to make associations. While a trauma may be a single event or several similar events, in all likelihood they have developed as narrative themes that compose the self-concept the client has. The better a client can connect the trauma to such themes, the more holistic the effect. A good EMDR clinician can encourage this reconstruction, but one should be aware that we have different cognitive styles. Second, some of us have more entry into traumatic events than others. This may be attributable to personality traits such as openness to self-disclosure, and environmental influences of trust, and/or varying levels of general repression of uncomfortable (let alone traumatic) thoughts and events. So, one size may not fit all. Another important variable that should be examined by practitioners/researchers is the background of the therapist. For example, since much of EMDR is used to uncover traumatic childhood events, I believe it is important that the therapist have a background in treating children--at least to some minimal level. For, as the client recalls events from childhood, he/she is recalling them as a child and may be in a child-like state during the process. Therefore, the therapist must be able to talk to the client as a child (not the inner child because EMDR, if it works for childood trauma, brings the inner child "outward." Finally, the therapist must sense when the client is "ready" for the treatment. The trauma may be known, but the ability for the client to address the trauma in a safe and secure environment may take time to establish and nurture. I do not see the metaphor of the mind as a computer. If we begin to think that way, our society is in very big trouble. Much of our culture already does. In conclusion, this method should not be viewed as a mere technique, but like any intervention for change, as a technique largely dependent on the individual therapist/client. It helps to have a rich sensory life and a good sense-memory. A therapist might be able to jog some of it, but it still is a trait. And finally, about the eye movement part, there have been few studies comparing EMDR with and without the eye movements. Studies regarding whether they are necessary to the process have not been highly encouraging.		Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars thorough & organized I found the first 8 chapters to be well organized. The author does an excellent job of giving a description of what she will teach and then more thoroughly teaches the information... Read more Published 3 months ago by Apples & Oranges 5.0 out of 5 stars EMDR book This is a very information book. I am in the process of becoming certified in EMDR therapy, and this book has really helped me to understand the origins of EMDR, the reasons why... Read more Published 15 months ago by Susan Alghusain 5.0 out of 5 stars The Standard Still Works This restatement of Francine Shapiro's standard overview of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)outlines the standard protocols for this proven treatment method... Read more Published on May 17, 2007 by Nikolas Adamsson 5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensible Text for EMDR This book is a companion to the live course, the foundation for EMDR. A must have text if you are a therapist using this modality. Published on January 5, 2007 by Arlene S. Noble 5.0 out of 5 stars Recommend! Easy to read and helpful for understanding the process of EMDR. I would have to agree with the previous reviewer Laura M that PEACEFUL HEART : A Woman's Journey to Healing is a... Read more Published on April 11, 2004 by Chel 5.0 out of 5 stars The EMDR Text Great book! If you practice EMDR, you need to invest in this book. Published on August 2, 2001 5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for all hypnotherapists... I am a hypnotherapist and work mostly with cases of abuse. EMDR is an excellent method of working with clients that have had severe trauma such as rape, combat time, or severe... Read more Published on August 2, 2000 5.0 out of 5 stars The most exciting discovery in therapy this century This book is too comprehensive. It offers a complete understanding of an exciting new psychological discovery. Read more Published on September 29, 1997 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 398 pages
• Publisher: The Guilford Press; annotated edition edition (April 24, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898629608
• ISBN-13: 978-0898629606
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #267,284 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #34 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Mental Health > Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
  #85 in	Books > Science > Medicine > Specialties > Ophthalmology
  #87 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Personal Health > Stress > Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A practical step-by-step guide for therapists using EMDR, April 16, 2001

By A Customer

This very readable book was written by EMDR originator Francine Shapiro to provide detailed directions for therapists using this approach. Beginning with descriptions of the historical development and theoretical model, the book provides a thorough overview of the treatment process. Several chapters describe each of the eight phases of treatment; information is also provided about working with special populations and with difficult treatment issues. EMDR was first developed as a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the book summarizes the research investigating EMDR treatment of PTSD, most of which supports its effectiveness with this disorder. Research has shown preliminary support for EMDR's use with other disorders (e.g., phobias), and the treatment protocols for these approaches are described in detail. Recommendations are made for future research to further evaluate EMDR's effectiveness and to investigate what eye movements, and other treatment components, contribute to treatment effects. This book is an indispensable resource for the therapist who uses EMDR as part of an integrative treatment plan.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent information on EMDR, September 23, 2000

By A Customer

this was an excellent book for learning more about EMDR....it is written more with the therapist in mind than the client...but for a client who wishes to read on the subject before submitting to the process of EMDR...it will help to explain it very well.....

56 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Promising intervention with unpromising reservations , August 20, 2004

By	JackOfMostTrades "Jack" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures, 2nd Edition (Hardcover)

EMDR may be an excellent form of overcoming trauma, and the research tends to suggest it does, although if you read the literature in a disinterested way, you will find there are many mixed reports on study results. Some find EMDR equal to or better than Cog/Beh Therapy intervention; some find it better; some find it not as effective. As someone who has conducted experimental research, I wish to point out several issues that should be addressed, even for true believers. First, EMDR is a perfect intervention for a technological age: after all, don't all our life's problems supposedly have a technological solution. Our culture says so, but of course, history tells us otherwise. Spiritual meaning, social integration, a personal credo, culture and religion still appear to be the ingredients that hold us together..or as Paul Tillich says, "Our ground of being." Technology may be helpful but it is ultimately ancillary. Of course, those who suffer from trauma may require immediate relief, and if EMDR can reduce suffering efficiently and quickly, that's fine. HOWEVER, that being said, one must look a bit further. First, one must consider the individual client him/herself. EMDR helps us return to a traumatic event, see it more objectively, and hopefully allows us to use our reasoning faculties which may not have been in play during such events owing to stress, shock, immaturity, ignorance, and so forth. However, we all have varied levels of experiencing or "reliving" memory. Some can visualize quite easily and can "see" the experience as vividly, even more vividly than the true life one. In keeping with Gardner's idea of "multiple intelligences," we should consider that different individuals have different "intelligences" in reconstructing or reliving events. Furthermore, we should consider that individuals have varying degrees in their ability to make associations. While a trauma may be a single event or several similar events, in all likelihood they have developed as narrative themes that compose the self-concept the client has. The better a client can connect the trauma to such themes, the more holistic the effect. A good EMDR clinician can encourage this reconstruction, but one should be aware that we have different cognitive styles.

Second, some of us have more entry into traumatic events than others. This may be attributable to personality traits such as openness to self-disclosure, and environmental influences of trust, and/or varying levels of general repression of uncomfortable (let alone traumatic) thoughts and events. So, one size may not fit all.

Another important variable that should be examined by practitioners/researchers is the background of the therapist. For example, since much of EMDR is used to uncover traumatic childhood events, I believe it is important that the therapist have a background in treating children--at least to some minimal level. For, as the client recalls events from childhood, he/she is recalling them as a child and may be in a child-like state during the process. Therefore, the therapist must be able to talk to the client as a child (not the inner child because EMDR, if it works for childood trauma, brings the inner child "outward." Finally, the therapist must sense when the client is "ready" for the treatment. The trauma may be known, but the ability for the client to address the trauma in a safe and secure environment may take time to establish and nurture. I do not see the metaphor of the mind as a computer. If we begin to think that way, our society is in very big trouble. Much of our culture already does. In conclusion, this method should not be viewed as a mere technique, but like any intervention for change, as a technique largely dependent on the individual therapist/client. It helps to have a rich sensory life and a good sense-memory. A therapist might be able to jog some of it, but it still is a trait. And finally, about the eye movement part, there have been few studies comparing EMDR with and without the eye movements. Studies regarding whether they are necessary to the process have not been highly encouraging.