Overview:
This one-hour course, "EMDR: Trauma, Memory, and the Law," is designed to provide attorneys with a practical understanding of trauma and memory in legal proceedings.
Participants will gain insights into the importance of desensitization in trauma treatment and how psychotherapy can alter both the narrative and emotional expression of litigants. The course will also address the controversy of postponing treatment until after a judgment and explore alternatives to postponing treatment. Additionally, the course will cover the challenges of hypnotically refreshed or recovered memories and their admissibility in court.
We will see how Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a widely accepted and researched trauma treatment, has significant legal implications. We will address how memories can be distorted or enhanced, the potential damage caused by false memories, and the trauma-related disability and suffering that lead to legal claims.
Course Objective:
- Understand how psychotherapy can change the narrative and emotional expression of litigants, offering attorneys a valuable perspective on handling trauma-related cases.
- Gain a better understanding of clients and the legal implications of how trauma-related disability and suffering are perceived by society.
- Recognize the role of desensitization in trauma treatment and its effects on memory accuracy.
- Analyze the controversial tactic of delaying treatment until after a judgment and the legal, ethical, and psychological implications.
- Examine alternatives to postponing treatment, such as coaching clients on how to express themselves in testimony.
- Evaluate the role of narrative change as both an intervention and an outcome in trauma treatment.
- Explore the mechanisms behind memory distortion, including the multi-dimensional nature of memory, and its implications in legal settings.
- Address the contentious issue of using hypnotically refreshed or recovered memories as evidence, including the purpose of expert testimony in evaluating the hypnosis.
- Assess the potential damage that false memories (or allegations of memory alteration) can cause in legal proceedings.
Target Audience:
- This course is designed for legal professionals, especially attorneys that may be involved in liability litigation or criminal defense where issues of trauma or other emotional imbalance may be pivotal.
Basic Knowledge:
Prior knowledge of PTSD is not necessary, as the introduction will provide a brief overview and the syllabus will provide additional definitions and resources.