Questioning the Benefits of EMDR

I read with interest Linda Marsa’s article “Trauma Therapy’s New Focus” (March 25).

Contrary to the impression created by her article, clinical studies have shown that EMDR (eye-movement desensitization reprocessing) is vastly inferior to other cognitive-behavioral treatments for panic disorder and for phobia. Moving one’s eyes back and forth is not the best way to overcome either of these problems.

Although EMDR is more effective than nothing at all for post-traumatic stress disorder, research has repeatedly failed to show that the eye movements (or tapping) add anything to the desensitization (and placebo) components of EMDR.

RICHARD J. McNALLY

Department of Psychology

Harvard University