Product reviews for Eye Movement Integration Therapy

Since the identification of post Traumatic stress disorder as a distinct syndrome in its won right in the late 1980s, many forms of therapy including psychotherapy and hypnotherapy have been utilised to the full to help the sufferers of the syndrome resolve persistent psychological and physical distress associated with the problem. Behavioural, cognitive, biofeedback and psychodynamic therapies have all gone a long way in showing their own particular uses. Of late, Eye Movement Integration Therapy has been used with considerable success. For so long therapies have helped but have not had what could honestly be called ” enduring results”. Eye Movement Integration Therapy seems to have conquered this and has been used as an excellent access tool to cue and activate the traumatic memories embedded in the mind of the patient, with positive and enduring results! EMIT is not widely used in this country at the moment, although there have been numerous therapists offering such therapy to their patients in north America with often astonishing results. EMI consists of identifying a disturbing memory which is the apparent precipitating or underlying cause for the patient's distress, and then facilitating activation and integration of that memory with other multi sensory information by a guided series of eye movement patterns. These patterns or figures cover the entire visual field of the patient, which is intended to aid in accessing the full spectrum of information processing strategies internally available to the patient.

As the patient holds the memory in consciousness, each eye movement pattern is executed, with the patient following the guiding movements of the therapist's hand. During a pause between one figure and the next, alterations to the patients internal representation of the memory are analysed and assessed, allowing the patient to explore changes in sensory and physical areas and new associations which may now be facilitated. Specifically this is introduced to exclude as far as possible any extensive discussion or guidance from the therapist.

Integration of the memory is considered to be complete when eye movements elicit only positive information in the various sensory modes, and the patient is no longer distressed at all when recalling the memory: Treatment is in basically three stages:

Identification of traumatic memories

 Eye movement procedure 

Anchoring of the new state 

In recent trials, disturbing memories within a wide variety of traumas were treated and Eye Movement was offered as an alternative to standard therapy. Many patients experienced physical response such as agitation, stomach pain, tears or even of the pain, which may have been experienced at the time of the trauma. These sensations changed rapidly as additional eye pattern movements were followed. As the treatments proceeded most patients reported positive sensations of release and loss of tension, as well as altered perception of the trauma. This new and innovative treatment is now made more readily available to you through Dr Beaulieu's book. It offers new hope to those who endure long lasting effects of trauma and new pathways for therapists to follow. 

This comprehensive guide is the first major book on the subject and is intended for the readership of therapists, social workers, psychologists and other such health professionals. It clearly presents the background and theoretical basis for the development of the therapy and also gives detailed instructions for the successful application of it within your work with a patient.

 The book is remarkably easy to read although I do find the topic complex to follow personally. It is helped by the fact that the book is filled with well-illustrated clinical cases and experiences. It is claimed the EMI is astonishingly rapid in its effects freeing patients from the burden of unresolved memories of almost any form of trauma from child abuse to car accidents; from rape to earthquake experience to combat situations. Treatment length varies from one to six on average. I would point out that this is NOT hypnosis but it is something which provides an extraordinarily direct means of releasing the powers of the mind to do what it was designed to do in the first place - to heal itself! By no means an easy read but I think, a compulsive one. 

This is an amazing book about an amazing therapeutic tool and is worthy of serious study and consideration. Crown House Publishing Limited is to be congratulated on bringing this to our attention and to the attention of a far wider public. This could see revolutionary improvement in the treatment of traumatic disorders for which patients will ever be thankful. I have no hesitation in recommending this book to you. Indeed, I can imagine no reason why this book should not feature immediately in your ” to Read” list. You owe it to yourself AND to your patients!!