Exploring EMDR: an innovative approach with Posner Paradigm to reprocessing negative memories in a non-clinical sample

These data suggest that endogenous visuospatial tasks, such as those employed in the Posner paradigm, may serve as viable alternatives to traditional eye movements in EMDR therapy. Furthermore, our findings indicate that the simultaneous presentation of stimuli may not be a crucial aspect of EMDR's effectiveness. This study contributes to the understanding of EMDR by highlighting the importance of attentional processes in memory processing and opens avenues for further research into alternative therapeutic techniques that leverage cognitive mechanisms. However, as this study employed a non-clinical sample of healthy participants with distress memories, caution is warranted when generalizing these findings to clinical populations with diagnosed trauma-related disorders. The implications of these findings are discussed within the broader theoretical frameworks of EMDR and attentional involvement, emphasizing the potential for integrating cognitive tasks into trauma-focused therapies.