Changing the Adult State of Mind With Respect to Attachment: An Exploratory Study of the Role of EMDR Psychotherapy

• Published in: Journal of EMDR practice and research Vol. 13; no. 3; pp. 176 - 186
• Main Authors: Civilotti, Cristina, Cussino, Martina, Callerame, Chiara, Fernandez, Isabel, Zaccagnino, Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Springer Publishing Company 01.08.2019
• Subjects: Applied Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Cognitive, Biological, and Neurological Psychology; Psychology; Social and Personality Psychology; trauma; Adult Attachment Interview; attachment; reflective function; EMDR
• ISSN: 1933-3196; 1933-320X
• DOI: 10.1891/1933-3196.13.3.176

We aimed to assess changes in the attachment internal working model and reflective function (RF) as mechanisms of change in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) treatment for patients with traumatic memories. Twenty adult female patients with parenting and relational problems participated in the study. Attachment organization was assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and the RF coding scale pre- and posttreatment. We found that EMDR therapy increased patients' narrative coherence and RF. We noted a significant decrease in the number of participants classified as unresolved following the course of EMDR treatment in which loss and/or trauma were resolved. This article summarizes the changes after EMDR therapy regarding attachment status and its efficacy to reprocess early traumatic memories in a more adaptive way. Finally, our results also support the usefulness of the AAI as a tool for understanding the changing processes during a therapeutic treatment.