The Association for IEMT Practitioners - Pre-Session Assessment Guidelines

Objective for Pre-session Assessment

The objective for carrying out a pre-session assessment is to eliminate candidates who may be unsuitable for treatment or intervention via IEMT. It should be noted that suitability for treatment does not imply or suggest the actual efficacy of IEMT for any given client. Simply put, not finding any contra-indications does not necessarily mean that IEMT will be effective for the client.

IEMT practitioners may have suitable training and skills other than IEMT, so the exclusion of a client from the IEMT treatment protocols does not necessarily imply that the practitioner should not work with the client using other processes and therapeutic mediums.

Common Factors Affecting Suitability

Ocular Disease: Until there is sufficient medical evidence to suggest otherwise, eye movement work should not be be used with any individual who has any active or current ocular disease process. There are no exceptions to this. Such conditions include conjunctivitis, glaucoma, history of detached retina and recent trauma such as "a black eye." Problems such as a "lazy eye" and poor focal vision are not necessarily a contra-indication unless there is an active and concurrent disease process underlying it.

Neurological: All neurological disorders are to be considered a contraindication unless (i) you are medically qualified and experienced in the disorder and/or (ii) you have authorisation from the client's doctor to do so. Typical disorders include: Meniere's disease (and related disorders of balance), multiple sclerosis, epilepsy (including psychogenic and factitious seizures), "stroke", history of head injury and Parkinson's Disease.

Psychiatric: A client may be unsuitable on grounds of mental health. Specifically, unless the practitioner is experienced and qualified to work with psychotic illnesses, or is operating with suitable direct supervision, then history of psychotic illness must be considered a specific criteria for exclusion for IEMT work. When working in moderate to severe depression it is a requirement that the client's GP is consulted prior to IEMT treatment.

Legal: If the client is a victim or witness of crime and is likely to be giving evidence in any legal process, then without exception, suitable and relevant legal advise must be sought prior to any IEMT treatment. IEMT is a process that directly affects memory recall and memory coding, and thus IEMT treatment may potentially be raised to question the validity of an IEMT recipient's testimony.

Avoidance and Appointment Substitution: Occasionally a client may seek out IEMT treatment in substitution for their regular medical or psychiatric intervention, treatment and/or support. In all instances, the practitioners should request to liaise with the client's existing treatment services prior to treatment.

Method of Assessment

All practitioners are expected to show good sense and judgement in pre-session assessment and are free to develop their own processes for assessment. Most commonly practitioners will use a written assessment form, often sent to the client prior to booking a session, or pre-assessment interview. It is up to each practitioner to decide whether this pre-assessment interview is without charge or not.

If retained, all assessment records must be stored according to international legal data protection criteria.

"Referring On"

There is no requirement for any practitioner to accept a client or to "refer on" any client that they decline to see. However, it shows good practice to have a suitable network of health care professionals to whom to refer some clients who may need support and advise for suitable treatment.