An orienting response model of eye movement desensitization.
Dyck's (Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 1993) conditioning model of EMD provides a useful description of failure of habituation in post-traumatic stress disorder, but may not account for some common EMD phenomena. An alternative model proposes that the therapist's waving hand--in the presence of a trauma-related cortical set--triggers an intense orienting response (OR). Intrinsic effects of the OR facilitate continuing attention to the memory without avoidance, and provide for effective input of new trauma-related information. The person's neuronal model of the trauma alters to reflect his survival and current safety--as true outcome of the trauma--and associated conditioned responses extinguish. Proposals for experimental evaluation of the model are described.
Armstrong
M S
MS
Department of Psychiatry, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Vaughan
K
K
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001143:Arousal; D001288:Attention; D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D003887:Desensitization, Psychologic / Q000379:methods*; D005133:Eye Movements; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic; D006801:Humans; D011939:Mental Recall; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009949:Orientation; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D013534:Survival / Q000523:psychology