EMDR beyond PTSD: A Systematic Literature Review

Summary & key facts

This review looked at carefully controlled trials done up to December 2016 that tested EMDR — a therapy that uses eye movements and memory processing — in people who had experienced trauma along with other problems such as depression, anxiety, substance use, psychosis, bipolar disorder, or chronic back pain. The reviewers found only a small number of trials. Those trials suggest EMDR can reduce symptoms that are directly linked to traumatic memories. EMDR showed smaller, partial benefits for the main psychiatric conditions, and there is very preliminary evidence it could help mood or psychotic symptoms and act as an add-on for chronic pain. Overall the findings are promising but limited, so more research is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.

Key facts:

• The authors searched major databases for carefully controlled trials up to December 2016 that used EMDR in people with trauma plus other psychiatric or pain conditions.
• Only a small number of such trials were available, so the overall evidence is scarce.
• Across the available trials, EMDR tended to reduce trauma-associated symptoms, meaning symptoms tied to distressing memories.
• EMDR produced only partial or small improvements in the main psychiatric disorders (for example depression or anxiety) rather than fully treating those disorders.
• Early findings suggest EMDR might also help some psychotic or mood-related symptoms and could be used as an additional treatment in chronic pain, but these results are preliminary and need more study.
• Because the trials were few and varied in who was studied and how EMDR was used, we cannot be certain which patients will benefit or how large the effects really are.

Abstract

Background: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapeutic approach that has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) through several randomized controlled trials (RCT). Solid evidence shows that traumatic events can contribute to the onset of severe mental disorders and can worsen their prognosis. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the most important findings from RCT conducted in the treatment of comorbid traumatic events in psychosis, bipolar disorder, unipolar depression, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders and chronic back pain. Methods: Using PubMed, ScienceDirect and Scopus, we conducted a systematic literature search of RCT studies published up to December 2016 that used EMDR in the mentioned psychiatric conditions. Results: RCT are still scarce in these comorbid conditions but the available evidence suggests that EMDR improves trauma-associated symptoms and has a minor effect on the primary disorders by reaching partial symptomatic improvement. Conclusions: EMDR could be a useful psychotherapy to treat trauma-associated symptoms in patients with comorbid psychiatric disorders. Preliminary evidence also suggests that EMDR therapy might be useful to improve psychotic or affective symptoms and could be an add-on treatment in chronic pain conditions.

Topics

Child Abuse and Trauma Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments

Categories

Clinical Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Anxiety Clinical psychology Depression (economics) Economics Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing Macroeconomics Medicine Posttraumatic stress Psychiatry Psychology Psychosis Psychotherapist Randomized controlled trial Surgery

Conditions & symptoms

Anxiety Anxiety or worry Poor sleep Sadness or low mood