Product reviews for Eye Movement Integration Therapy

I was particularly pleased to receive this book to review because it fills a space that has long need filling. I have been tantalised by the possibilities of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) for many years, but as a lay hypnotherapist I have found myself excluded from training on several occasions through not having the 'right background'. Similarly specific details are omitted from texts. Even books by its originator, Francine Shapiro, extol its virtues but deny you the information needed to utilise it. Very frustrating, but not uncommon. So often new techniques have a fence erected around them to either enable the originator to make money from it, or to limit the knowledge to whomever the originator deems the 'right people' to use it.

That is one of the things I love about NLP. It is a magpie that collects anything new and sparkly, makes a model of it and then (usually) makes it available to the outside world. Something similar has happened in this case. EMI has its origins in the work of top NLP innovator Steve Andreas and, while sharing many similarities with EMDR, also has several things which distinguish it.

EMI is based on the idea, long accepted within NLP, that eye movements are a key part of the process of thinking. As a client accesses a memory connected to their problem, their eyes will move in certain specific directions as part of the means by which that memory is retrieved. Further, the meaning of that memory will also be connected to the areas of the client's visual field that they access during the recollection of the memory; in part we know whether we like spaghetti bolognese by where our eyes go when we visualise a plate of it.

EMI works by having the client access a memory that is key to the client's problem, and as they recall it they follow the finger of the therapist as it traces patterns in their visual field. These patterns are precisely determined and vary as the treatment develops. As this process develops clients often experience a profound transformation of their problem.

Danie Beaulieu has done an excellent job in presenting the theory and practice of EMI. It is thorough, well-researched, and provides everything a book can provide in preparing you to use this powerful technique safely.

The book begins with a history of EMI's origins, and how some interesting cases the author had led her to realise the range of EMI's applications. It then goes on to cover the neurological theories that support it, the primary differences between EMI and EMDR and possible links with the function of REM sleep.

In detail the author considers client evaluation and treatment planning - including a useful client assessment questionnaire in the appendix " before going onto setting up the client session.

Chapters 6-8, clearly describe the method - the range of movements, the questions to ask, how the session may progress. There is a wealth of information clearly described.

The book concludes with a 'troubleshooting' guide that covers the most common variations of client experience.

While a book can never replace fully the benefits to be gained from face-to-face training, this book deserves to become the major reference for this technique. There is much to be learned here that is worthwhile, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to extend their range of options.