Revisiting Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review and Discussion of the American Psychological Association’s 2017 Recommendations

Summary & key facts

This review looked at research on EMDR therapy for adults with PTSD from studies published between January 2000 and June 2023. The authors screened 867 records and included 16 studies. Most of those studies found that EMDR reduced PTSD symptoms compared with controls. The review also notes that some included studies were small or used waitlist controls, and that more research is needed to clarify how EMDR works and how well it helps different groups of people.

Key facts:

• The authors searched studies from January 2000 to June 2023 and only included English-language papers on adult psychiatric patients with PTSD.
• The search process identified 867 records, of which 16 studies met the review's eligibility criteria.
• Eleven of the 16 included studies showed improvement in PTSD symptoms after EMDR treatment.
• An additional three of the 16 studies reported improvement in PTSD symptoms when EMDR was compared to waitlist controls.
• Overall, 14 of the 16 selected studies reported some improvement in PTSD symptoms with EMDR (11 directly reported improvement; 3 reported improvement versus waitlist).
• One included study found EMDR to be better at reducing depressive symptoms than a rapid eye movement desensitization comparison.
• The review followed PRISMA-style methods for a narrative literature review but notes limitations such as small sample sizes in some studies and use of waitlist controls in others.
• The authors conclude that data support the use of EMDR for PTSD but say more studies are needed to understand mechanisms and effects in different populations.

Abstract

This literature review evaluates the efficacy and clinical applications of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The review highlights the effectiveness of EMDR in reducing PTSD symptoms and explores variations in treatment protocols, populations studied, and outcome measures. We conducted systematic searches of multiple databases, supplemented with manual searches and reference list exploration. The inclusion criteria focused on English-language studies published between January 2000 and June 2023, with a specific emphasis on adult psychiatric patients with PTSD receiving EMDR treatment. The review utilized Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for narrative literature reviews. Out of 867 identified studies, 16 met the eligibility criteria. Most studies found that EMDR was superior in relieving PTSD when compared to controls. Eleven of the 16 selected studies demonstrated improvement in PTSD symptoms. An additional three studies noted an improvement in PTSD symptoms when compared to their waitlist control counterparts. One study found EMDR superior in combating depressive symptoms when compared to rapid eye movement desensitization. EMDR therapy is an appropriate treatment for PTSD. Although some studies compared to waitlist controls, and others have a small number of participants, the data supports the use of EMDR for PTSD. Future studies are needed to continue to better understand the mechanism and application in different populations.

Topics

Migration, Health and Trauma Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research Suicide and Self-Harm Studies

Categories

Clinical Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Anxiety Association (psychology) Clinical psychology Desensitization (medicine) Eye movement Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing Internal medicine Medicine Neuroscience Posttraumatic stress Psychiatry Psychology Psychotherapist Receptor Systematic desensitization Traumatic stress

Conditions & symptoms

Anxiety PTSD Anxiety or worry Poor sleep Sadness or low mood