Feasibility of intensive eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy for adults with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning and posttraumatic stress disorder in a tertiary mental health care setting: A nonconcurrent single-case design
Intensive EMDR appears feasible, safe, and potentially effective for adults with mild intellectual and borderline intellectual functioning (MID-BIF) and PTSD in tertiary care.
Article Abstract
“Introduction: Adults with mild intellectual disability (MID; IQ 50–70) or borderline intellectual functioning (BIF; IQ 70–85) are at elevated risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Evidence for intensive trauma-focused treatment in this group is scarce, whereas studies in people without intellectual disabilities suggest that intensive formats improve treatment efficiency and reduce drop-out. This study examined the feasibility, potential effectiveness, and safety of intensive Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for adults with MID-BIF, PTSD, and complex comorbidities in tertiary mental health care.
Methods: A nonconcurrent single-case A – B – A design was applied. Six adults received up to 16 EMDR sessions across four weeks, delivered by rotating therapists during a brief inpatient admission including an activation program. PTSD symptoms, diagnosis, and adverse events were assessed.
Results: Five participants showed significant PTSD symptom reduction; three no longer met diagnostic criteria. All completed treatment without drop-out or adverse events.
Conclusion: Intensive EMDR appears feasible, safe, and potentially effective for adults with MID-BIF and PTSD in tertiary care.”
—Description from publisher
Article Access
Open Access
Bierman, T., Versluis, A., Korzilius, H., & Didden, R. (2026). Feasibility of intensive eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy for adults with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning and posttraumatic stress disorder in a tertiary mental health care setting: A nonconcurrent single-case design study. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 1-20, 2618075. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1080/19315864.2026.2618075
Date
January 18, 2026
Creator(s)
Toon Bierman, Anne Versluis, Hubert Korzilius
Contributor(s)
Robert Didden
Topics
PTSD
Client Population
Disabilities
Practice & Methods
Efficacy, Intensives
Extent
21 pages
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Rights
© 2026 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.
APA Citation
Bierman, T., Versluis, A., Korzilius, H., & Didden, R. (2026). Feasibility of intensive eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy for adults with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning and posttraumatic stress disorder in a tertiary mental health care setting: A nonconcurrent single-case design study. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 1-20, 2618075. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1080/19315864.2026.2618075
Audience
EMDR Therapists, Other Mental Health Professionals
Language
English
Content Type
Article, Peer-Reviewed
Access Type
External Resource, Open Access
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