Neurobiological Foundations of EMDR Therapy

Traumatic events damage the mental and emotional processes and affect brain physiology. According to the DSM V (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may present with the following: oNegative alterations in cognitions and mood oSymptoms of irritability and outbursts of anger oRe-experiencing of the traumatic event oSelf-destructive behavior oHypervigilance oAlarm response exaggerated oTrouble concentrating oFalling asleep or staying awake In recent years, many researchers focused on trauma and its symptoms obtaining important results concerning the understanding of traumatic memory, and how it affects the brain and human behavior. Through neuroimaging techniques such as Positron Emission Tomography, (PET); Single Photon Emission Tomography (SPECT); Electroencephalography (EEG); functional and structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI, MRI) it has been possible to identify the brain circuits involved in the pathophysiology of PTSD. Changes in metabolism, brain morphology and networking have been found in the amygdala, the medial Pre-Frontal Cortex (mPFC) and the hippocampus (Shin et al., 2006; Yehuda and LeDoux, 2007; Wager et al., 2007; Martin et al., 2009), which together form the so-called Neural Model of PTSD (Shin et al., 2006).