Memory and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy: a potentially risky combination in the courtroom

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 memo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Memory (Hove) Vol. 29; no. 9; pp. 1254 - 1262
Main Authors: Otgaar, Henry, Houben, Sanne T. L., Rassin, Eric, Merckelbach, Harald
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England Routledge 21.10.2021
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects:
courtroom
Desensitization (Psychology)
EMDR
expert witness
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing - methods
Eye Movements
false memory
Humans
Imagery, Psychotherapy
Memory
Repression, Psychology
expert witness
memory
false memory
courtroom
EMDR
ISSN:0965-8211, 1464-0686, 1464-0686
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary: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.
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ISSN:0965-8211
1464-0686
1464-0686
DOI:10.1080/09658211.2021.1966043