# Immediate Stabilization Procedure (ISP) to Decrease Drug Craving Intensity - URL: https://alisanburak.com/en/uyusturucu-arzulama-yogunlugunu-azaltmak-icin-acil-stabilizasyon-proseduru-isp - Language: en - Last updated: 2026-09-15 - Page title: Immediate Stabilization Procedure (ISP) to Decrease Drug Craving Intensity | Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alişan Burak Yaşar > Immediate Stabilization Procedure (ISP) to Decrease Drug Craving Intensity AUTHORS Mary K. Tatumi, Jennifer Breal, Charny Beckl, Dr. Olya ZaporozhetsI, Dr. This page was translated automatically from Turkish. [Read the original](https://alisanburak.com/uyusturucu-arzulama-yogunlugunu-azaltmak-icin-acil-stabilizasyon-proseduru-isp) [← Back to blog](https://alisanburak.com/en/blog) # Immediate Stabilization Procedure (ISP) to Decrease Drug Craving Intensity July 30, 2024EMDR Europe Symposium 2024 Posters Immediate Stabilization Procedure (ISP) to Decrease Drug Craving Intensity AUTHORS Mary K. Tatumi, Jennifer Breal, Charny Beckl, Dr. Olya ZaporozhetsI, Dr. Gary Quinn2 IRegent University, 1000 Regent University Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23464, 2The EMDR Institute of Israel, Naomi Street, P.O.B. 4359, Jerusalem, 91042 Israel Translated by: Specialist Psychologist Gizem Pozam It is hypothesized that ISP could be the first treatment protocol used during the experience of a drug craving to reduce the intensity and severity of symptoms. INTRODUCTION For people with substance use disorders, craving is an individually dynamic phenomenon, with often unpredictable peaks, troughs, and brief spikes throughout any given day (liftany & Wray, 2012). Cravings can be experienced physically, mentally, and emotionally at an intensity that can push a person beyond their window of tolerance and lead to impulsive relapses. Although effective EMDR treatment modalities exist for addiction recovery, none are currently available for use when a craving occurs. The Immediate Stabilization Procedure (ISP) was developed for situations in which a person experiences a stressor beyond their window of tolerance. We propose that ISP could be the first treatment protocol to help reduce the intensity of drug cravings, allowing clients to regain control over their physiological state, avoid impulsive relapse, and maintain sobriety. RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1. How effective is ISP in reducing the intensity of a craving when it occurs? 2. Is ISP effective in reducing the intensity of drug cravings over time? 3. Do participants who receive the ISP protocol experience an overall reduction in their urge to use during inpatient treatment? BACKGROUND Dr. Gary Quinn developed ISP to help stabilize victims of traumatic events during the acute stress reaction (ASR) phase. ISP is a component of EMDR Early Intervention (EEI) techniques and is designed to provide rapid stabilization in response to repetitive rehearsal immediately following traumatic events (Beatty et al., 2023). EMDR is an evidence-based approach to treating individuals with a history of trauma and substance use. Drug cravings predict relapse and recurrent patterns of use that are characteristic of substance use disorders. The physical, mental, and emotional overwhelm associated with drug cravings often pushes a person beyond their window of tolerance, leading to an impulsive relapse (Perez-Dandieu & Tapia, 2014; Rosenberg, 2009). Most EMDR protocols are successful when the client's emotions are within their window of tolerance (Beatty et al., 2023). Treating addiction, a chronic disorder involving recurrent patterns of relapse, has an impact on individuals, families, and social, economic, governmental, and healthcare systems worldwide (M. Littel et al., 2016). METHODOLOGY This descriptive, quantitative pilot study will be conducted in two separate residential rehabilitation programs in the South Florida area. The researcher will train the staff therapists in the ISP protocol. Therapists will use the ISP protocol as needed and during weekly individual therapy sessions. The researcher will have no contact with participants to avoid disrupting their treatment experience. Therapists will use the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) to measure craving severity before and after ISP administration. Therapists will use the Urge to Use (UTU) scale to measure craving intensity over time. The researchers will collect data for at least six weeks. THEORY AND APPLICATION The purpose of this descriptive, quantitative pilot study is to investigate the effects of the Immediate Stabilization Protocol (ISP) when administered during the experience of a drug craving. The ISP protocol was developed for situations in which people experience emotions outside their window of tolerance. Bilateral stimulation paired with the protocol dialogue enables the person to return to a calmer state and regain a realistically positive mindset. Example: "You can learn to cope with this." "You can learn to exercise reasonable control over the things you can control." The combination of bilateral stimulation and verbal repetition of the protocol dialogue enhances ISP's effectiveness by simultaneously addressing the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of panic and feelings of overwhelm. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of ISP in treating drug cravings, which are intense, often brief, and unpredictable. ISP can be administered by a listener or self-administered and can therefore be used at any time, including outside therapy sessions. CONCLUSION The researchers seek to determine whether administering the ISP protocol during the experience of a drug craving helps participants return to their window of tolerance, reduces the likelihood of an impulsive relapse, and increases the likelihood of maintaining sobriety. Immediate Stabilization Procedure (ISP) to Decrease Drug Craving Intensity AUTHORS Mary K. Tatumi, Jennifer Breal, Charny Beckl, Dr. Olya ZaporozhetsI, Dr. Gary Quinn2 AFFILIATIONS IRegent University, 1000 Regent University Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23464, 2The EMDR Institute of Israel, Naomi Street, P.O.B. 4359, Jerusalem, 91042 Israel It is hypothesized that ISP could be the first treatment protocol used during the experience of a drug craving to decrease intensity and severity of symptoms. INTRODUCTION For those with substance-use disorders, cravings are an individually dynamic phenomenon as they are often unpredictable peaks, valleys, and short duration spikes over the course of any given day (liftany & Wray, 2012). Cravings can be experienced physically, mentally. and emotionally with an intensity that can push a person beyond their window of tolerance and lead to impulsive relapses. While there are effective EMDR treatment modalities for addiction recovery, none currently exist for when a craving occurs. Immediate Stabilization Procedure (ISP) was developed for when a person experiences a stressor beyond their window of tolerance. We propose that ISP could be the first treatment protocol to help decrease the intensity of a drug craving when it is happening, allowing the client to regain control over their physiological state and avoid impulsive relapse and maintan sobriety. RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1. What is the efficacy of using ISP to decrease the intensity of a craving when it occurs? 2. Is ISP effective in reducing the intensity of drug cravings over time? 3. Do participants who receive the ISP protocol experience an overall decreased urge to use during inpatient treatment? BACKGROUND Dr. Gary Quinn developed ISP to help stabilize victims of traumatic events during the phase of Acute Stress Reaction (ASR). ISP is a component of the Early Intervention techniques (EEI) of EMDR, designed to invoke rapid stabilization from the repetitious rehearsing immediately following traumatic events (Beatty et al., 2023). EMDR is an evidence-based approach to treating individuals with a history of trauma and substance use. Drug cravings predict relapse and recycling behaviors, which are synonymous with substance use disorders. The physical, mental, and emotional overwhelm of drug cravings often pushes a person beyond their window of tolerance, leading to an impulsive relapse (Perez-Dandieu & Tapia, 2014; Rosenberg, 2009). Most EMDR protocols are successful when a client's emotions are within their window of tolerance (Beatty et al., 2023). Treating addictions, a chronic disorder with relapsing recycling behaviors, has an international scale impact on individuals, families, and societal, economic, governmental, and healthcare systems (M. Littel et al., 2016). METHODOLOGY This descriptive, quantitative pilot study will take place in two separate inpatient rehabillauon programs in the south Florida area. The researcher will train the employed therapists in the ISP protocol. The therapists will use the ISP protocol as needed and also during weekly individual therapy sessions. The researcher will not have contact with the participants to avoid any disruption to their treatment experience. The therapists will use the Subjective Unit of Distress scale (SUDS) to measure level of craving severity before and after ISP application. Therapists will use the Urge to Use scale (UTU) to measure craving intensity over time. The researchers will collect data for a minimum of six weeks. THEORY AND APPLICATION The purpose of this descriptive quantitative pilot study is to explore the effects of Immediate Stabilization Protocol (ISP) when applied during the experience of a drug craving. The ISP protocol was developed for when people experience emotions outside their window of tolerance. Bilateral stimulation paired with the protocol dialogue allows the person to return to a calmer state, resulting in the ability to regain a realistically positive mentality. Example: "You can learn to deal with this." "You can learn to be in reasonable control of what you can be in control of." The combination of bilateral stimulation and verbal repetition of the protocol dialogue addresses the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of panic and feelings of overwhelm at the same time, increasing ISP's effectiveness. This study will asses ISP's effectivenes in treating drug cravings as cravings are intense, often short in duration, and unpredictable. SP can be dinician or self-administered and therefore available to use at any time, including outside of therapy sessions. CONCLUSION Researchers seek to determine if applying the ISP protocol during the experience of a drug craving helps a participant return to the window of tolerance, decrease the likelihood of an impulsive relapse, and increase the likelihood of maintaining sobriety. 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