Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) treatment in the medical setting: A systematic review
This review evaluated the use and effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in patients treated in the medical setting.
Article Abstract
“Background: Literature points towards the potential benefits of the application of Eye Movement and Desensitization Processing (EMDR)-therapy for patients in the medical setting, with cancer and pain being among the domains it is applied to. The field of applying EMDR therapy for patients treated in the medical setting has evolved to such an extent that it may be challenging to get a comprehensive overview.
Objective: This systematic literature review aims to evaluate the use and effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in patients treated in the medical setting.
Methods: We performed a literature search following the PRISMA guidelines. Studies were included if the effectiveness of EMDR therapy was assessed in adult patients treated in a medical setting. Excluded were patients exclusively suffering from a mental health disorder, without somatic comorbidity. A risk of bias analysis was performed. This review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022325238).
Results: Eighty-seven studies, of which 26 (pilot)-RCTs were included and categorized in 14 medical domains. Additionally, three studies focusing on persistent physical complaints were included. Most evidence exists for its application in the fields of oncology, pain, and neurology. The overall appraisal of these studies showed at least moderate to high risks of bias. EMDR demonstrated effectiveness in reducing symptoms in 85 out of 87 studies. Notably, the occurrence of adverse events was rarely mentioned.
Conclusions: Overall, outcomes seem to show beneficial effects of EMDR on reducing psychological and physical symptoms in patients treated in a medical setting. Due to the heterogeneity of reported outcomes, effect sizes could not be pooled. Due to the high risk of bias of the included studies, our results should be interpreted with caution and further controlled high-quality research is needed.”
—Description from publisher
Article Access
Open Access
Driessen, H. P. A., Morsink, S., Busschbach, J., Hoogendijk, W. J. G., & Kranenburg, L. W. (2024). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) treatment in the medical setting: A systematic review. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 15: 2341577. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2024.2341577
Date
May 15, 2024
Creator(s)
Helen P.A. Driessen, Sid Morsink, Jan J.V. Busschbach
Contributor(s)
Witte J.G. Hoogendijk, Leonieke W. Kranenburg
Topics
Cancer, Medical/Somatic, Pain/Chronic Pain
Practice & Methods
Hospital
Extent
15 pages
Publisher
Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Rights
© 2024 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-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
APA Citation
Driessen, H. P. A., Morsink, S., Busschbach, J., Hoogendijk, W. J. G., & Kranenburg, L. W. (2024). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) treatment in the medical setting: A systematic review. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 15: 2341577. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2024.2341577
Audience
EMDR Therapists, Other Mental Health Professionals
Language
English
Content Type
Article, Meta-analyses/Systematic Reviews, Peer-Reviewed
Access Type
External Resource, Open Access
