SYMPOSIA

Abstracts of the Invited Speakers
[KC-05]
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing method [EMDR]
Specifically designed for Turkish patient population in the Netherlands
Serdar Güner
Praktijk Voor Psychiatrie, The Netherlands
E-mail: serdarmineguner@gmail.com
Dr. Serdar Guner reports that those behaviorally troubled Dutch patients with Turkish origin have not necessarily been benefitted by those
10-15 sessions of EMDR during their psychiatric evaluations necessitated by different conditions. The clinicians have reportedly been applying
traditional EMDR methods first to be objectifying relaxation through imagination and later on processing the completion of catharsis during
as well as after the said eye movements. The patients, however, have been reporting no benefits and even at times, worsened clinical
conditions after the given session. Dr. Guner has finally extracted the facts centered on this failure relevant to the given patient population.
Those Turkish-Dutch clients have not been acknowledged about the rationale relevant to which-treats-what phenomenon through the
catharsis. Lacking of explanation centralized around acknowledgement along with a possible language barrier has been hindering the
therapeutic process. This finding has eventually led him to develop a sister method specifically designed for this patient population. He
has slowly but steadily, started informing his patients about shock, repression of the feelings during it, and the effect of those repressed
emotions on the people in short as well as long term trajectories. He, later on, used metaphors in picturing the process through which
the said repressed emotions would be surfaced by means of EMDR. One of the interesting demographics has been the cultural difference
of this given patient population. Those Dutch clients with Turkish origins have not been motivated in processing anything if they had not
understood what they were doing. While this, in fact, is also true with the people from the other cultures, Dutch-Turks appeared to be a bit
more autonomous in directing themselves in comparison with the Western Europeans who have likely been more conformists with their
clinicians even when they have not necessarily been understanding what and why they were doing in any recommended method.
Dr. Guner reviews his methodology designed for this population during his presentation. Most of the work has been an “acknowledgement”
in his following up with his patients. This variant method has been helping PTSD patients’ feeling relaxation even after first two sessions.
Dr. Guner reports that about 150 of his patients have been very happy about the outcome of this EMDR variant.
Key words: EMDR, PTSD, psychotherapy
Bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology 2011;21(Suppl. 2):S106
WORKSHOP
[WS-01]
Alternative CBT method of panic disorder treatment for Turkish patients
Serdar Güner
Praktijk Voor Psychiatrie, The Netherlands
E-mail: serdarmineguner@gmail.com
I have been working as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist in the Netherlands for more than 20 years during which I have diagnosed and
treated many Turkish panic patients by the virtue of sharing the same language, culture, and other demographics of the native land,
Turkish Republic. The most important factor that led me to develop a different approach than that of a classical cognitive behavioral
therapy -- focusing on neuro-vegetative reactions, neutralizing them through psycho-education and home-work, generating an insight
into catastophic thoughts while “living” and finally easing up the panic attacks -- was the given patients’ thinking of the methods as
“ridicilous,” and not doing their homeworks or acting as if they completed them even they did not.
The alternative method I devised was related to use a lot of metaphors corresponding to the patients’ lives, generating an insight into
catastrophic thoughts while “understanding” their bodily dynamics, self-controlling neuro-vegetative reactions, and acknowledging
“the mechanism of panic reaction.” Since it is relatively short, not necessitating homework, and easy to understand for the panic stricken
patients, it promotes motivation leading to less relapses and even if relapses occur, achieving quicker and easier recovery.
The method appears to be effective among the native Dutch patients, as well as immigrants.
The presentation will be providing details of this newly applied successful panic treatment.
Key words: CBT, panic disorder, psychotherapy
Bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology 2011;21(Suppl. 2):S106
S106 Bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Vol: 21, Supplement: 2, 2011 - www.psikofarmakoloji.org