25 years of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Application protocol, operating hypothesis, and systematic review of its efficacy in posttraumatic stress disorder

The standard EMDR protocol is introduced, along with current hypotheses of its mechanism of action, as well as a critical review of the available literature on its clinical effectiveness in adult PTSD.

Article Abstract

In English: “Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a relatively new psychotherapy that has gradually gained popularity for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. In the present work, the standardised EMDR protocol is introduced, along with current hypotheses of its mechanism of action, as well as a critical review of the available literature on its clinical effectiveness in adult post-traumatic stress disorder. A systematic review of the published literature was performed using PubMed and PsycINFO databases with the keywords «eye movement desensitization and reprocessing» and «post-traumatic stress disorder» and its abbreviations «EMDR» and «PTSD». Fifteen randomised controlled trials of good methodological quality were selected. These studies compared EMDR with unspecific interventions, waiting lists, or specific therapies. Overall, the results of these studies suggest that EMDR is a useful, evidence-based tool for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, in line with recent recommendations from different international health organisations.

En Espanol: “El tratamiento de desensibilización y reprocesamiento por movimiento ocular (EMDR de sus siglas en inglés: eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) es una terapia relativamente novedosa que de forma progresiva ha ido ganando popularidad en el tratamiento del trastorno por estrés postraumático. El objetivo de este trabajo es introducir el protocolo estándar EMDR, ofrecer una revisión de las hipótesis actuales sobre su mecanismo de acción y analizar la evidencia científica disponible sobre su eficacia clínica en pacientes adultos con diagnóstico de trastorno por estrés postraumático. Se realizó una revisión sistemática de la literatura publicada en las bases de datos PubMed y PsycINFO con los términos «eye movement desensitization and reprocessing» y «posttraumatic stress disorder» y sus contracciones en inglés «EMDR» y «PTSD». Se obtuvieron como resultado 15 ensayos controlados aleatorizados de elevada calidad metodológica que compararon EMDR con tratamientos no específicos, lista de espera y con tratamientos específicos. Los resultados de estos estudios permiten concluir que EMDR es una herramienta útil y basada en evidencia científica, tal y como refleja su reciente recomendación como tratamiento de elección en el trastorno por estrés postraumático por parte de distintas organizaciones internacionales de salud.””

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Article Access

Open Access

Novo Navarro, P., Landin-Romero, R., Guardiola-Wanden–Berghe, R., Moreno-Alcazar, A., Valiente-Gomez, A., Lupo, W., Garcia, F., Fernandez, I., Perez, V., & Amann, B. (2018). 25 years of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Application protocol, operating hypothesis, and systematic review of its efficacy in post-traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Psychiatry and Mental Health, 11(2), 101-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rpsm.2015.12.002  

—Description from publisher