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The application of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing treatment (EMDR) on adults with foreign language anxiety

  • Tugba Elif Toprak-Yildiz ORCID logo EMAIL logo , Tugba Seda Colak , Mustafa Koc and Betul Dusunceli
Published/Copyright: November 11, 2021

Abstract

The present study aimed to apply Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) treatment to foreign language (FL) anxiety, a complex and multidimensional phenomenon that has been found to exert profound effects on many aspects of FL learning and performance. EMDR originally emerged as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a great number of studies demonstrated empirically its potential for treating and coping with various psychological disorders. The present study used the Single-Case Design (SCD). EMDR was given to two volunteer adult EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners experiencing severe FL anxiety. The effect of the treatment on FL anxiety was tracked and measured by using two separate scales of FL anxiety and obtaining self-reports of distress from the subjects. The long-term effects of EMDR were checked through two separate follow-up assessments. The results clearly demonstrated that EMDR was effective in reducing FL anxiety and increasing subjects’ positive cognition.


Corresponding author: Tugba Elif Toprak-Yildiz, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; and Izmir Democracy University, Izmir, Turkey, E-mail:

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Received: 2020-06-26
Accepted: 2021-03-13
Published Online: 2021-11-11
Published in Print: 2021-10-26

© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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