Enhancing trauma-focused therapy (EMDR) with imagery rescripting for childhood abuse-related PTSD: A case study
This case report demonstrates the effectiveness of integrating Imagery Rescripting (ImRs) into standard EMDR treatment for PTSD when progress stalls.
Article Abstract
“Introduction: Childhood sexual and physical abuse (CSPA) can lead to a heightened risk to develop a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) show limited efficacy for CSPA-related PTSD. Highlighting the need for alternative approaches, such as Imagery Rescripting (ImRs), which, when integrated into standard treatment, may improve therapeutic outcomes for these individuals.
Objective: This case report demonstrates the effectiveness of integrating Imagery Rescripting (ImRs) into standard EMDR treatment for PTSD when progress stalls. It focuses on a 25-year-old Dutch male of Indonesian and Surinamese descent with CSPA-related PTSD.
Method: The client completed a total of 30 sessions, which included five psychoeducation sessions, four EMDR sessions, followed by five ImRs sessions and an additional five EMDR sessions. The final sessions focused on evaluating treatment outcomes, enhancing self-esteem, and implementing relapse prevention strategies. Various questionnaires assessing PTSD and psychological symptoms were administered at baseline, during and after treatment.
Results: After following a combination of EMDR and ImRs treatment, symptoms progressively decreased. By the end of treatment, the client had recovered from PTSD, with his Global Severity Index (GSI) score nearing the clinical cut-off score. This treatment success was maintained during a three-month follow-up period.
Conclusions: The integration of ImRs and EMDR seemed crucial for this client’s recovery from CSPA-related PTSD. Future research should identify which clients benefit most from EMDR, ImRs, or a combination of both. Long-term studies are needed to assess the sustained efficacy of integrating ImRs into trauma treatment.
Highlights:
- Combined EMDR and ImRs effectively improved symptoms of a patient suffering from CSPA-related PTSD.
- Treatment led to full PTSD recovery, with progress maintained during a three-month follow-up.”
—Description from publisher
Article Access
Open Access
van Hemert, M. T. C., de Jong, P. M., Brouwer, T. R., Gunst, E., Claes, L., & Morrens, M. (2025). Enhancing trauma-focused therapy (EMDR) with imagery rescripting for childhood abuse-related PTSD: A case study. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 16(1), 2600873. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2025.2600873
Date
December 19, 2025
Creator(s)
Mellony T.C. van Hemert, Paula M. de Jong, Tessa R. Brouwer
Contributor(s)
Ellen Gunst, Laurence Claes, Manuel Morrens
Topics
Childhood Trauma, PTSD, Sexual Trauma
Practice & Methods
Integrative Therapies
Extent
12 pages
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Rights
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
APA Citation
van Hemert, M. T. C., de Jong, P. M., Brouwer, T. R., Gunst, E., Claes, L., & Morrens, M. (2025). Enhancing trauma-focused therapy (EMDR) with imagery rescripting for childhood abuse-related PTSD: A case study. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 16(1), 2600873. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2025.2600873
Audience
EMDR Therapists
Language
English
Content Type
Article, Peer-Reviewed
Access Type
External Resource, Open Access
