Can working memory account for EMDR efficacy in PTSD?
PSPE
- Wadji, Dany Laure ORCID Université de Fribourg
- Martin-Soelch, Chantal ORCID Université de Fribourg
- Camos, Valérie ORCID Université de Fribourg
- 01.11.2022
Published in:
- BMC Psychology. - Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2022, vol. 10, no. 245, p. 1-12
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Working memory
Dual taxation
Eye movement
Bilateral stimulation
English
Abstract
Background: Although eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) has been shown to be effective in
the treatment of PTSD for years, it remains controversial due to the lack of understanding of its mechanisms of action.
We examined whether the working memory (WM) hypothesis –the competition for limited WM resources induced by
the dual task attenuates the vividness and emotionality of the traumatic memory – would provide an explanation for
the beneficial effect induced by bilateral stimulation.
Methods: We followed the Prisma guidelines and identified 11 articles categorized in two types of designs: studies
involving participants with current PTSD symptoms and participants without PTSD diagnosis.
Results: Regardless of the types of studies, the results showed a reduction of vividness and emotionality in the recall
of traumatic stimuli under a dual-task condition compared to a control condition, such as recall alone. However, two
studies used a follow-up test to show that this effect does not seem to last long.
Conclusion: Our results provide evidence for the WM hypothesis and suggest that recalling a traumatic memory
while performing a secondary task would shift the individual’s attention away from the retrieval process and result in a
reduction in vividness and emotionality, also associated with the reduction of symptoms.
Background: Although eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) has been shown to be effective in
the treatment of PTSD for years, it remains controversial due to the lack of understanding of its mechanisms of action.
We examined whether the working memory (WM) hypothesis –the competition for limited WM resources induced by
the dual task attenuates the vividness and emotionality of the traumatic memory – would provide an explanation for
the beneficial effect induced by bilateral stimulation.
Methods: We followed the Prisma guidelines and identified 11 articles categorized in two types of designs: studies
involving participants with current PTSD symptoms and participants without PTSD diagnosis.
Results: Regardless of the types of studies, the results showed a reduction of vividness and emotionality in the recall
of traumatic stimuli under a dual-task condition compared to a control condition, such as recall alone. However, two
studies used a follow-up test to show that this effect does not seem to last long.
Conclusion: Our results provide evidence for the WM hypothesis and suggest that recalling a traumatic memory
while performing a secondary task would shift the individual’s attention away from the retrieval process and result in a
reduction in vividness and emotionality, also associated with the reduction of symptoms.
- Faculty
- Faculté des lettres et des sciences humaines
- Department
- Département de Psychologie
- Language
-
- English
- Classification
- Psychology
- License
- CC BY
- Open access status
- gold
- Identifiers
-
- DOI 10.1186/s40359-022-00951-0
- ISSN 2050-7283
- Persistent URL
- https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/323732
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