Developing EMDR for psychosis from a Power, Threat, Meaning Framework perspective

Abstract

Evidence has been accumulating for the crucial role that trauma plays in the development of psychotic experiences. As such, there has been increased interest in the use of trauma-focused therapies, like Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR), for people who experience psychosis. However, the medical model has traditionally understood psychosis as a brain disease, leading to conceptual confusion regarding the role of trauma memory networks in the development of psychotic experiences. This paper proposes a trauma-informed understanding of psychosis in accordance with the Power, Threat, Meaning Framework (PTMF). The commonalities between the PTMF and the key models employed in EMDR, i.e. the Adaptive Information Processing and Structural Dissociation models, are explored.