Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for mental health problems: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

There is no comprehensive meta-analysis of randomised trials examining the effects of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and no systematic review at all of the effects of EMDR on other mental health problems. We conducted a systematic review and metaanalysis of 76 trials. Most trials examined the effects on PTSD (62%). The effect size of EMDR compared to control conditions was g = 0.93 (95% CI: 0.67-.18), with high heterogeneity (I 2 = 72%). Only four of 27 studies had low risk of bias, and there were indications for publication bias. EMDR was more effective than other therapies (g = 0.36; 95% CI: 0.14-0.57), but not in studies with low risk of bias. Significant results were also found for EMDR in phobias and test anxiety, but the number of studies was small and risk of bias was high. EMDR was examined in several other mental health problems, but for none of these problems, sufficient studies were available to pool outcomes. EMDR may be effective in the treatment of PTSD in the short term, but the quality of studies is too low to draw definite conclusions. There is not enough evidence to advise it for the use in other mental health problems.

Self-administered EMDR therapy: potential solution for expanding the availability of psychotherapy for PTSD or unregulated recipe for disaster?

“…5 Furthermore, two more recent meta-analyses comparing EMDR therapy with other therapies for PTSD found that EMDR was superior in reducing total PTSD scores, 6,7 particularly for reducing intrusive thoughts and arousal severity, 6 although studies were found to be at a high risk of bias. 7 The global burden of PTSD and access to treatment High-income countries PTSD carries a high disease burden in the UK 1 and across much of the world. 8 A particularly high prevalence of PTSD within Western countries can be found in refugee and asylum seeker populations, in which many, prior to arrival in their destination country, have experienced interpersonal trauma in the form of imprisonment, torture or sexual assault.…”

The Effectiveness of Dual-task Interventions for Modulating Emotional Memories in the Laboratory: A Meta-Analysis

“…They found that EM was effective in reducing the self-reported intensity of unpleasant memories. However, in a recent meta-analysis focusing on EMDR therapy in 10 clinical dismantling studies, no differences were found for EMDR with our without the eye-movement component (Cuijpers et al, 2020).…”

“…We aimed to address the above-mentioned issues by conducting an updated metaanalysis of laboratory research examining the effects of on dual-task interventions in healthy participants. Like the earlier meta-analyses ., 2020;Davidson & Parker, 2001; Lee & Cuijpers, 2013), we aimed to establish the effect of dual-tasks on negative emotional memories. However, our meta-analysis is specifically focused on laboratory rather than clinical studies, which have studied the effects of (variations of) dual-tasks in more controlled settings.…”

EMDR in Telemental Health Counseling for Healthcare Workers Caring for COVID-19 Patients: A Pilot Study

“…Since 1989, numerous publications have revealed EMDR's effectiveness, most notably in the treatment of PTSD. EMDR therapy's effectiveness in the treatment of PTSD has been clearly confirmed by several randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses (Bisson & Andrex, 2007;Bradley et al, 2005;Chen et al, 2014;Cuijpers et al, 2020;Lee & Cuijpers, 2013;Maxfield & Hyer, 2002;Seidler & Wagner, 2006;Van Etten & Taylor, 1998). While initially destined to treat individuals who have experienced traumatizing events, this approach has been developed further and applied to treat several psychopathological disorders, including anxiety and depressive disorders (Perlini et al, 2020;Valiente-Gomez et al, 2017).…”