The Efficacy of Eye Movement and Positive Cognition Components of EMDR in the Treatment of Cockroach Phobia

• Main Authors: Chih-Hao Chen, 陳致豪
• Other Authors: Sue-Hwang Chang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2004
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/61846362732557310193

碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 心理學研究所 === 92 === Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR; Shapiro, 1989a, 1989b) was initially used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and later has been thought to be effective in treating other psychological disorders also. Shapiro suggested that eye movement procedure could accelerate information processing and further reduced the client’s anxiety and disturbance. However, psychotherapy evaluation regarding crucial therapeutic parameters awaits elucidation. This dismantling study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of eye movement and positive cognition on phobias. Specifically, via a 2×2 between subject design, with “eye movement/non eye movement” and “treatment process” being two independent variables, a total of 40 female university students with fear of cockroaches were screened and recruited from introductory psychology class to explore the treatment effect of those two components. The results showed that, according to macro therapeutic indices, the effect of therapy was significant, and was not significantly different among groups. As to micro treatment process, while the participants’ SUDs decreased linearly, and so did the negative cognition VOCs, the positive cognition VOCs increased linearly only for the eye movement condition. In addition, while for macro index, the physical index, heart rate, was significantly higher at pre-test than at baseline and returned to baseline at post-test, the process measures indicated that heart rate increased during the first treatment stage, returned during rest period, and increased again during the second treatment stage. According to the micro process, the results also suggested that when presented with positive cognition participants’ VOCs of positive cognitions increased only for the eye movement condition. As to the therapeutic effects, although exposure by itself might be effective, eye movement could further promote participants’ VOCs of positive cognitions at the second treatment stage, probably by facilitating information processing. Nonetheless, regarding macro therapeutic index, there were equal therapeutic effects across groups within one-session therapy, and the superiority of positive cognition installation remained obscure, which implied that to become obvious more sessions might be called for. The implications of the present results and further research possibilities are postulated.