ABSTRACT

Does Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy affect the accuracy of memories? This recurrent issue in recent memory research bears relevance to expert witness work in the courtroom. In this review, we will argue that several crucial aspects of EMDR may be detrimental to memory. First, research has shown that eye movements undermine the quality and quantity of memory. Specifically, eye movements have been shown to decrease the vividness and emotionality of autobiographical experiences and amplify spontaneous false memory levels. Second, a sizeable proportion of EMDR practitioners endorse the controversial idea of repressed memories and discuss the topic of repressed memory in therapy. Third, in the Dutch EMDR protocol, patients are instructed to select the target image by using flawed metaphors of memory (e.g., memory works as a video). Such instructions may create demand characteristics to the effect that people over-interpret imagery during therapy as veridical memories. Collectively, the corpus of research suggests that several components of EMDR therapy (i.e., performing eye movements, therapist beliefs and therapeutic instructions) may undermine the accuracy of memory, which can be risky if patients, later on, serve as witnesses in legal proceedings.

摘要

眼动和脱敏与再加工 (EMDR) 疗法是否会影响记忆的准确性？最近记忆研究中反复出现的这个问题与法庭上的专家证人工作有关。在这篇综述中，我们将论证 EMDR 的几个关键方面可能对记忆有害。首先，研究表明，眼球运动会破坏记忆的质量和数量。具体来说，眼球运动已被证明会降低自传体经历的生动性和情绪化程度，并放大自发的错误记忆水平。其次，相当大比例的 EMDR 从业者赞同受压抑的记忆这一有争议的观点，并讨论了治疗中的压抑记忆的话题。第三，在荷兰 EMDR 协议中，患者被指示通过使用有缺陷的记忆隐喻（例如，记忆作为视频工作）。这样的指令可能会产生需求特征，以至于人们在治疗过程中将图像过度解释为真实的记忆。总的来说，研究语料库表明 EMDR 治疗的几个组成部分（即进行眼球运动、治疗师的信念和治疗指导）可能会破坏记忆的准确性，如果患者以后在法律诉讼中充当证人，这可能会带来风险。