EMDR therapy before PTSD: The benefit of treating acute stress disorder from a recent event

The objective of this study is to see if early specialized treatment of acute stress disorder with EMDR can prevent the onset of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Summary:

“This article is clinical research based on our practice. This study examined the possibility of early treatment of patients who have experienced trauma with EMDR therapy. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy is a neuro-emotional integration therapy using eye movements to treat trauma. The objective of this study is to see if early specialized treatment can prevent the onset of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). All patients (N =31) were treated a few days to a few weeks after experiencing a traumatic event. They were evaluated before and after therapy with a PCL-5. The results show that 96.8% of patients did not develop PTSD, and that for 77.4% of patients, 5 sessions or fewer were sufficient, with an average of 4.29 sessions and a standard deviation of 2.08. EMDR therapy is recommended for the management of PTSD, but nothing has yet been specified for the management of Acute Stress Disorder (ASD). The elements of this study allow us to suggest that EMDR therapy would be effective for treating patients early and preventing the onset of PTSD.”

—Description from publisher

Access:

Open Access

Desbiendras, N. (2026). EMDR therapy before PTSD: The benefit of treating acute stress disorder from a recent event. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 41, Supplement S1:23rd Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine, p. s190. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X26106165

—Description from publisher