Among the anxiety disorders, Panic Disorder (PD) is one of the most common forms of psychological distress in contemporary societies, often present in comorbidities with depressive disorders or addictions. It is extremely debilitating, and frequently associated with high levels of social, occupational, and physical disability. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reproces¬sing) is the first choice to treat traumatic or stress related disorders, and for several years has also been demonstrably effective in PD. This book is a complete guide to the use of EMDR psychotherapy in PD treatment. In this book, Elisa Faretta explores the etiology of PD, in light of the most recent neuropsychological theories - including Porges' Polyvagal Theory, Panksepp's Affective Neuroscience and Bowlby's Theory of Attachment - and brings together the results of the latest research on the treatment of this disorder with EMDR. The practical application of the protocol in eight steps is accompanied by the assessment tools and the scripts of the management and stabilization techniques with the description of a clinical case included for added clarity. For psychologists and psychotherapists interested in the specificity of this innovative and in-depth treatment the book also contains a variation of the individual EMDR standard protocol, adapted for a group psychotherapy context.

Authors:

Elisa Faretta,

psychologist and psychotherapist is the Scientific Director and Head of PIIEC Research Study Centre in Milan, EMDR Facilitator and Supervisor/Consultant, SIMP and EMDR Board Member. An expert in Psychosomatic Medicine, Ericksonian hypnosis, imaginative techniques, EMDR and Psychotraumatology, she is a professor at the Riza Institute School of Psychosomatic Medicine in Milan. Dr. Faretta carried out a multi-center research project in Psychoncology for the EMDR Italy Association, published in 2016 in the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research. She founded and developed the EMDR Psychotherapy Center for Psychosomatic Disorders and oncological diseases and has coordinated several studies and publications on the efficacy of EMDR in panic attacks.

Strengths

·      It describes in detail the specific EMDR protocol for the PD allowing it immediate applicability both to patients in group therapy

·       The protocol is applicable by all professionals regardless of their specialization, as it illustrates an operating mode that is well integrated with approaches of different theoretical derivation.