Effectiveness Of Eye Movement Desensitization Research Articles

Treating COVID-19 patients with EMDR: A pilot study

The threatening and unpredictable nature of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic presents unprecedented mental-health challenges worldwide. For those directly affected by the disease, the stress of facing potential death and overcoming fear can overwhelm their personal coping resources and can lead to symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and anxiety and depression. The objective of our study was to investigate the effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy to reduce anxio-depressive symptoms, distress and fear of the unknown in COVID-19 patients hospitalized for intensive care. A pilot study was conducted with 21 participants hospitalized for COVID-19 (11 women and 10 men) who were treated with EMDR therapy and assessed for anxio-depressive symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS), intensity of distress (Subjective Units of Disturbance, SUD scale), and levels of experienced fear (i.e., fear of the unknown) (Multidimensional Assessment of COVID-19-Related Fears, MAC-RF). After the 4-session treatment, the EMDR therapy showed to be effective in reducing all of the evaluated symptoms in all patients and allowed for stabilization. All patients maintained improved psychological states for one week following the four sessions. EMDR therapy has been shown to be an effective strategy for helping patients process exposure to adverse events by relieving symptoms of acute stress and trauma. EMDR is a focused approach that with as few as 4 sessions can strengthen adaptive coping strategies for dealing with an ongoing situation, restore optimism and can rapidly prevent the onset of potentially long-lasting psychological disorders.

Using EMDR With Autistic Clients: How Do Therapists Adapt?

Autistic people commonly experience co-morbid mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and low mood. General consensus is that autistic people can benefit from evidence-based psychological therapies, with the acceptability and effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy becoming a growing area of interest. One hundred and three EMDR therapists were asked if and how they adapt the standard EMDR protocol to make the process and content more tailored to the needs and preferences of autistic people. We analyzed the qualitative responses of participants to these questions, including barriers and adaptations to all eight phases of the EMDR standard protocol. Overall, therapists emphasized the need for flexibility and responsiveness to the individual client, and the importance of autism-specific knowledge and autism-informed clinical supervision. Implications and future directions are discussed.

The Effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Indonesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

ObjectivePost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may affect individuals exposed to adversity. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based trauma-focused psychotherapy for PTSD. There is still some debate whether the eye movements (EMs) are an effective component of EMDR. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization (EMD) treatment in reducing PTSD symptoms compared to a retrieval-only active control condition. We also investigated whether PTSD symptom reduction was associated with reductions in depression and anxiety, and improvements in quality of life.MethodologyAdult PTSD patients (n = 91) were recruited at public psychological services in Jakarta, Bandung and Cimahi, Indonesia. PTSD was diagnosed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 disorders (SCID-5). Participants were randomized into: EMD (n = 47) or retrieval-only (n = 44). EMD consisted of clinical history and treatment planning, preparation, assessment, EMs, closure, whereas retrieval-only consisted of the same elements except EMs. Data were collected at baseline (T0), 1-week post-treatment (T1), 1-month follow-up (T2), and 3-months follow-up (T3). Outcome measures included the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25 (HSCL-25), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life–BREF (WHOQoL–BREF). Data were analyzed with linear mixed model analysis in R Statistics.ResultsAlthough there were main effects of time indicating reductions for both EMD and retrieval-only in PCL-5 and HSCL-25 scores, and improvements in WHOQoL-BREF scores at T1, T2, and T3, no significant differences in PCL-5, HSCL-25, and WHOQoL-BREF total scores between the EMD and retrieval-only groups at T1, T2, and T3 were found (all group x time interaction p’s > 0.005).ConclusionWithin a clinical sample of PTSD patients in Indonesia, both EMD and retrieval-only was associated with reductions in symptoms of PTSD, anxiety and depression, and improvements in quality of life, although EMs did not add to the efficacy of the treatments. Further research to examine the underlying mechanisms of EMDR’s effective treatment elements in clinical samples is needed.Clinical Trial Registration[www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [ISRCTN55239132].

The Effect of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing on Pain Intensity in Cancer Patients (24-Month Follow-Up)

The Effect of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing on Pain Intensity in Cancer Patients (24-Month Follow-Up)

Effectiveness of EMDR for decreasing symptoms of over‐arousal: A meta‐analysis

AbstractA meta‐analysis was conducted to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in the treatment of symptoms of over‐arousal and comparing effectiveness in the treatment of anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Thirty‐two effect sizes from randomized controlled trials were included in the analysis. Findings were mixed, indicating that EMDR was more effective than alternative viable treatments in the treatment of over‐arousal, but that true effect may range from 210% of a standard deviation favoring EMDR to 66% of a standard deviation favoring alternative viable treatments. No statistically significant differences for effectiveness were noted in the use of EMDR when treating anxiety versus trauma. Our findings indicate that on average, EMDR may be beneficial, but there is an equivalent chance that future applications with similar samples could result in findings regarded as considerably or categorically ineffective.

The Effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in Reducing Anxiety in COVID-19 Patients Admitted to ICU

The Effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in Reducing Anxiety in COVID-19 Patients Admitted to ICU

The Effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in Improving Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Students

The Effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in Improving Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Students

Effect of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing according to the AIP Model based on Seven Factors of Parenting Stress among Mothers of Deaf Children

Effect of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing according to the AIP Model based on Seven Factors of Parenting Stress among Mothers of Deaf Children

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Treatment in Oncological Patients. Preliminary Research Project

Patients with Cancer (C) have an important risk of developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but few studies have assessed the efficiency of psychological interventions to treat it. Also, it is known that the presence of unprocessed traumatic experiences prior to diagnosis, represents a risk of the onset of a PTSD. Furthermore, no studies have analyzed the quality of such traumatic experiences during C patients life. The study has the threefold objective of assessing the effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR) in C patients diagnosed with PTSD, examining the presence of unprocessed traumatic experiences in the pre-diagnosis lives of C patients and analyzing these clinical experience in relation to the localization of the primary cancer. Patients with C diagnosis at any stage of the disease were included, receiving either EMDR. Patients were assessed before and after (follow-up) treatments with clinical questionnaires. Patients at the first diagnosis undergo 10 sessions of psychotherapy, while patients with recurrence are subjected to 16 sessions. We had 3 patients, 2 at second stage of disease (just before to start therapy) and 1 at his third recurrence. Localization of primary cancer: Shoulder, breast, skin. Results show complete remission of PTSD in all patients, the presence of unprocessed traumatic experiences in the pre-diagnosis lives (mourning). Confirming the efficiency of EMDR in PTSD in C patients, would mean being able to rely on a powerful psychological tool in an area where the emotional aspect plays a key role in recovery patients’ psychophysical and quality of life. It is also impressive to assess the relationship between the presence of raw traumatic events prior to the communication of the diagnosis and onset of PTSD, as well as the nature of these experiences. These clinical data are essential both to plan increasingly detailed and specific treatments in terms of quality and time, and to think of a psychological prevention perspective dedicated to the person understood as a totality.

The Effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Cognitive Reprocessing Intervention on Improving the Sense of Parental competence and reducing the social isolation in mothers of deaf children

Intrudoction: Deafness in children is one of the disabilities that has a great impact on mothers; Because mothers have a greater role to play in caring for their children's physical, emotional, and social needs.The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and CognitiveReprocessing Intervention on improving the Sense of parental competence and reducing the social isolation of mothers of deaf children studying in primary school of exceptional schools in Ahvaz. Methods: This research is one of the quasi-experimental studies of pre-test-post-test with control group. In this study, 30 mothers were selected by available sample method and randomly divided into two groups of 15 experimental and control. The treatment protocol was performed in 10 sessions of 60 minutes in the experimental group. Participants in both groups were assessed for variables of parenting competence and social isolation at the beginning and end of the study. Abidin (1990) Parental Stress Questionnaire was used to assess the sense of parenting competence and social isolation. Findings: The results of covariance analysis showed that in the significance level of (P<0/001) the Eye Movement Desensitization and Cognitive Reprocessing Intervention therapy led to improvements Parental Sense of competence Mothers of deaf children in both the post-test and follow-up stages. Conclution: It can be said that Eye Movement Desensitization and Cognitive Reprocessing Intervention of non-pharmacological therapy is relatively short and effective in improving the sense of parental competence and reducing social isolation.

Long-term effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing in children and adolescents with medically related subthreshold post-traumatic stress disorder: a randomized controlled trial

Medical procedures and hospitalizations can be experienced as traumatic and can lead to post-traumatic stress reactions. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) shows promising results but very few long-term studies have been published. Therefore, our aim was to test the long-term (8 months post-treatment) effectiveness of EMDR in children and adolescents with medically related subthreshold post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Seventy-four children (including 39 with congenital or acquired heart disease) aged 4-15 (M = 9.6 years) with subthreshold PTSD after previous hospitalization were included into a parallel group randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomized to EMDR (n = 37) or care-as-usual (CAU) (n = 37; medical care only). The primary outcome was PTSD symptoms of the child. Secondary outcomes were symptoms of depression and blood-injection-injury (BII) phobia, sleep problems, and health-related quality of life (HrQoL) of the child. Assessments of all outcomes were planned at baseline and 8 weeks and 8 months after the start of EMDR/CAU. We hypothesized that the EMDR group would show significantly more improvements on all outcomes over time. Both groups showed improvements over time on child's symptoms of PTSD (only parent report), depression, BII phobia, sleep problems, and most HrQoL subscales. GEE analyses showed no significant differences between the EMDR group (nT2 = 33, nT3 = 30) and the CAU group (nT2 = 35, nT3 = 32) on the primary outcome. One superior effect of EMDR over time was found for reducing parent-reported BII phobia of the child. EMDR did not perform better than CAU in reducing subthreshold PTSD up to 8 months post-treatment in previously hospitalized children. Possible explanations and clinical implications are discussed.

Effect of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing on death anxiety of gastrointestinal cancer patients in Qazvin hospital in 2018: A randomized clinical trial

Effect of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing on death anxiety of gastrointestinal cancer patients in Qazvin hospital in 2018: A randomized clinical trial

Treating Cognitive Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Using EMDR Therapy With Bilateral Alternating Tactile Stimulation

This article reports preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing psychotherapy (EMDR) therapy, applying bilateral alternating tactile stimulation in treating cognitive symptoms in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). A single-case experimental design was used in seven clinical cases. The Penn State Worry Questionnaire, Intolerance of Uncertainty, Cognitive Avoidance Questionnaire, and Negative Problem Orientation Questionnaire were administered at five points during pretreatment (which established the baseline phase serving as each participant's control), at three points during the treatment phase, at the end of it, and at the 3- and 6-month follow-ups. Each participant received 16 treatment sessions. Visual, statistical, and clinical significance analyses were conducted. The cognitive symptoms treated were: excessive worry, intolerance of uncertainty, cognitive avoidance, and negative orientation to problems. All four cognitive symptoms subsided, with large effect sizes in all cases, between pre- and posttreatment, which can be observed in the visual and statistical analysis of each case. Pre- and post-cognitions are specified in each case. According to the clinical significance analysis, all participants evidenced a change towards an improvement. Finally, evidence is given in favor of the usefulness of EMDR therapy for the treatment of cognitive symptoms in participants diagnosed with GAD. However, these results must be considered cautiously when generalizing data.

EMDR therapy for misophonia: a pilot study of case series

ABSTRACT Background: Misophonia is a disorder in which patients suffer from anger or disgust when confronted with specific sounds such as loud chewing or breathing, causing avoidance of cue-related situations resulting in significant functional impairment. Though the first treatment studies with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) showed promising results, an average of 50% of the patients has not improved much clinically. Objective: The aim of this pilot study was to assess the effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy as a trauma-focused approach in treating misophonia symptoms. Method: A sample of 10 adult participants with misophonia was studied at the outpatient clinic of the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam. Participants were either on the waiting list for CBT or non-responders to CBT. EMDR was focused on misophonia-related emotionally disturbing memories and delivered in a mean of 2.6 sessions of 60–90 minutes. Pre- and post-treatment self-assessed ratings of misophonia symptoms (AMISOS-R, primary outcome), of general psychopathology (SCL-90-R) and of quality of life (SDS) were administered. The co-primary outcome was the Clinical Global Impression Improvement scale (CGI-I). Results: A paired t-test (n = 8) showed improvement on the primary outcome (−6.14 [MD], 5.34 [SD]) on the AMISOS-R (P = .023). Three of the eight patients showed clinically significant improvement measured with the CGI-I. No significant effect on secondary outcomes was found. Conclusions: These preliminary results suggest that EMDR therapy focused on emotionally disturbing misophonia-related memories can reduce misophonia symptoms. RCTs with sufficient sample sizes are required to firmly establish the value of EMDR therapy for misophonia.

The Effect of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) on Depression in Spinal Cord Injury Patients

The Effect of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) on Depression in Spinal Cord Injury Patients

What Has EMDR Taught Us About the Psychological Characteristics of Tinnitus Patients?

Tinnitus is a common and distressing symptom affecting at least 10% of the population. It is poorly understood. There are many proposed therapies but a significant lack of well-controlled trials. This study is a secondary analysis from our recent study to determine the effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy as a treatment for tinnitus. It was designed as a single-site prospective interventional clinical trial and took place at a teaching hospital in the United Kingdom. Participants received a maximum of 10 sessions of EMDR. The EMDR used was a bespoke protocol: EMDR-for-tinnitus protocol (tEMDR). Outcome measures included evidence-based tinnitus and mood questionnaires recorded at baseline, discharge, and at 6 months post-discharge. The main outcome measure was the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, and scores demonstrated a statistically significant improvement. Secondary analyses conducted indicate statistically significant improvement for tinnitus patients with and without probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnoses. There was no significant decrease in depression and anxiety measures, however these were at the minimal range at the start. The purpose of this article is to describe the rationale behind the use of EMDR in tinnitus, the process of administrating a bespoke EMDR protocol, and the differences between tinnitus sufferers with differing experiences of trauma. To date our study is one of only two published studies investigating the use of EMDR for tinnitus; we therefore introduce an evolving and exciting application for EMDR therapy.

Impact of an Integrated EMDR Treatment Program for Children and Youth Exposed to Potentially Traumatic Events: The Village Collaborative Trauma Center

Exposure to adverse events during childhood and adolescence is associated with problematic outcomes across the life span, including the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A growing body of research examining the effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in treating PTSD among young people has yielded mixed findings. More work is needed that elucidates whether EMDR is linked to positive and sustained reductions in symptoms among youth who experience potentially traumatic events. For this open trial, we analyzed data from 143 youth (Mage= 12.9, standard deviation [SD] = 3.4, Range = 6–18) who received outpatient behavioral health clinic services, including EMDR. We assessed whether the number of types of exposure to family-related and non-family-related traumatic events, as well as differences in severity of PTSD symptomatology, was associated with changes in internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors from intake to 6 months. Results indicated that youth with (a) fewer exposures to non-family-related potentially traumatic events and (b) more severe PTSD symptoms, showed greater improvements in externalizing problem behaviors. We discuss limitations of the present study and implications for future research.

The effect of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing on the fear of hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetic patients: a randomized clinical trial

BackgroundThe fear of hypoglycemia leads to psychological symptoms in patients with diabetes type 2. In this research, the effects of EDMR on the fear of hypoglycemia in patients with diabetes type 2 were examined.MethodsA clinical trial study was carried out with participation of 72 patients who had diabetes type 2 in Velayat Hospital. The participants were randomly assigned into control and intervention groups. The intervention group received EMDR. The required information was gleaned using a questionnaire of fear of hypoglycemia, intensity of hypoglycemia, and demographics filled out before the intervention, and 1 month and 3 months after it. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics on SPSS Version 23. For comparison of fear of hypoglycemia in intervention and control groups, repeated measure ANOVA and Cohen d test were used.ResultsThe mean age of the participants in the intervention group was 43.17 ± 10.55 and in the control group was 45.86 ± 13.6. In this study, without considering the potential disruptors in the incorrect model, the intervention caused a reduction of 15 points 1 month after the completion of the intervention and a reduction of 17 points 3 month after the completion of the intervention on the scale of fear of hypoglycemia; but post-correction of potential disruptors, intervention caused a reduction of 19.5 scores 1 month after the completion and a reduction of 20.3 scores 3 months after the intervention .ConclusionsThe EMDR can be used as a non-pharmaceutical treatment method to treat and alleviate the fear of hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetes patients.Trial registrationIranian Registry of Clinical Trials: IRCT20181201041813N1, 2019/11/13.

Cracking the EMDR code: Recruitment of sensory, memory and emotional networks during bilateral alternating auditory stimulation.

The inability to extinguish a conditioned fear is thought to be at the core of post-traumatic stress disorder. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy has been efficacious for post-traumatic stress disorder, but the brain mechanisms underlying the effect are still unknown. The core effect of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy seems to rely on the simultaneous association of bilateral alternating stimulation and the recall of the traumatic memory. To shed light on how eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy functions, we aimed to highlight the structures activated by bilateral alternating stimulation during fear extinction and its recall. We included 38 healthy participants in this study. Participants were examined twice in functional magnetic resonance imaging, over 2 consecutive days. On the first day, they performed two fear conditioning and extinction procedures, one with and one without the bilateral alternating stimulation during the fear extinction learning phase in a counter-balanced order across the participants. On the second day, participants completed the fear extinction recall procedure, in the same order as the previous day. Statistical significance of maps was set at p < 0.05 after correction for family-wise error at the cluster level. The analysis revealed significant activation with versus without bilateral alternating stimulation at the early extinction in the bilateral auditory areas, the right precuneus, and the left medial frontal gyrus. The same pattern was found in the early recall on the second day. The connectivity analysis found a significant increase in connectivity during bilateral alternating stimulation versus without bilateral alternating stimulation in the early extinction and recall between the two superior temporal gyri, the precuneus, the middle frontal gyrus and a set of structures involved in multisensory integration, executive control, emotional processing, salience and memory. We show for the first time that in the eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy the bilateral alternating stimulation is not a simple sensory signal and can activate large emotional neural networks.

The effects of eye movements and alternative dual tasks on the vividness and emotionality of negative autobiographical memories: A meta-analysis of laboratory studies

Performing eye movements during memory retrieval is considered to be important for the therapeutic effect of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). We conducted a meta-analysis of laboratory studies that compared the effects of eye movements and/or alternative dual tasks (e.g., counting) on the vividness and emotionality of negative autobiographical memories with recall only (control) conditions. The databases PsycINFO and Web of Science were queried. Fifteen studies that involved 942 participants were included. Eye movements and alternative dual tasks produced similar vividness and emotionality decreases, with the impact on vividness being strong than that on emotionality. However, eye movements yielded a stronger overall vividness reduction than alternative dual tasks, although the associated effect size was small (Cohen’s d = .29). Because eye movements and alternative dual tasks produced comparable effects, one might conclude that both tasks are therapeutic equivalents. However, it should be acknowledged that only a limited number of laboratory studies were included in our meta-analysis, and the degree to which both procedures tax working memory was not independently established. Although our conclusion cannot be generalized to clinical practice, it does raise questions about the mode of action of EMDR.