Certified Rehabilitation Counselor Practice

What therapeutic technique was developed in 1989 for treating PTSD?

1. Emotional Freedom Technique

2. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

3. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

4. Dialectical Behavior Therapy

The correct answer is: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

The therapeutic technique developed in 1989 for treating PTSD is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). This approach was created by Francine Shapiro and is specifically designed to help individuals process traumatic memories more effectively. EMDR combines elements of cognitive behavioral therapy with bilateral sensory input, such as guided eye movements. This unique integration helps reduce the emotional distress associated with traumatic memories and enables clients to reprocess these memories in a healthier way. Understanding the significance of EMDR in treating PTSD lies in its ability to facilitate adaptive information processing. Clients who undergo EMDR often experience a decrease in the vividness and intensity of trauma-related memories, which can lead to improved emotional functioning and symptom reduction. This technique has garnered substantial empirical support and has become a widely recognized and evidence-based intervention for individuals suffering from trauma-related disorders. Other options are valuable therapeutic approaches but were not specifically developed for PTSD in the late 1980s. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy provide frameworks for treating a variety of psychological issues, and Emotional Freedom Technique incorporates aspects of acupressure and cognitive forms of therapy, but none of these were primarily focused on PTSD in the same way that EMDR was.