An Exploratory Study on the Use of Eye Movement Integration Therapy for Treating Trauma in Early Childhood in South Africa

ABSTRACT

Eye Movement Integration (EMI) is a neurobiological therapeutic technique that aims to reduce trauma symptoms by utilizing specific eye movements. This article contributes to the understanding of EMI by determining its utility with a diverse sample of 12 traumatized children, aged 5–7 years, in South Africa. The study is a replication of a previous study on the use of EMI with adolescents by Struwig and van Breda, but with a sample of much younger children. A one-group, pre-test–post-test, mixed methods, exploratory design was used to explore the reduction in trauma symptoms following a single session of EMI and to identify important clinical considerations in utilizing EMI with young children. The results indicate a significant reduction in all but one of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress, as measured by the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC) and triangulated with qualitative feedback from caregivers. Clinical considerations emerged regarding the management of the concentration span of small children, their somatic experiences and dissociation and strong emotional reactions. The authors conclude that EMI may be a useful brief therapeutic intervention for young children in resource-constrained settings.

KEYWORDS:

• Trauma
• EMI
• neurotherapy
• PTSD
• South Africa

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Charmaine van der Spuy is a clinical social work student at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. She has a private practice where she specialises in therapy with children, trauma, anxiety and other childhood-related disorders.

Adrian DuPlessis van Breda is a full professor of social work at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He specialises in resillience, youth transitions, leaving care and clinical social work.