Exploring personal experiences of EMDR therapy within secure services.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring personal experiences of EMDR therapy within secure services.
IRAS ID
217066
Contact name
Marnie E Allen
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 4 days
Research summary
Trauma has consistently been a connecting factor for varying acts of violence, with offenders presenting with a higher prevalence of Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and associated symptoms when compared with the general population (American Psychiatric Association (APA), 1994). More recent research demonstrates that traumatic experiences and criminal behaviours are fundamentally interlinked (Ardino, 2012).
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a psychotherapeutic approach developed by Francine Shapiro in 1987. With an initial focus on trauma and encompassing cognitions, imagery and bodily sensations, EMDR therapy offers a different type of therapy compared to the talking therapies commonly used within secure services (Shapiro, 1998).
EMDR has become widely recognised as an effective approach for treating trauma outside of secure environments (Dutch National Steering Committee, 2003; UK Department of Health, 2001; World Health Organisation (WHO), 2013).Alongside CBT, EMDR therapy is becoming more often viewed as a treatment of choice and being applied to a growing number of mental health difficulties including phobias, anxiety, personality disorder and voices (Luber, 2009).
In recent years, therapists have started using EMDR therapy within secure services. Known for its trauma roots, EMDR therapy’s use may have started in this area but appears to have further broadened, for example, being used alongside offence focused intervention (Ricci & Clayton, 2009). Currently little is known about service user experiences of why they engage in EMDR therapy or how it may be beneficial to them in terms of their recovery and/ or risk reduction.
Service users who are currently residing within a secure hospital, and have completed EMDR therapy, will be invited to engage in an interview to discuss their experiences about this. Interviews will typically last about an hour.
Thematic Analysis (TA) will be used as a means to explore personal experiences of the EMDR process within a secure service.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/SC/0034
Date of REC Opinion
6 Mar 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion