Applying EMDR for tsunami survivors with severe PTSD in a disaster region with minimum mental health facilities

Tsunami that hit Aceh on the 26th of December 2004 taken approximately 150,000 lives has changed the region into a devastated area. Although health services and facilities had been re-established and some NGOs started delivering psychosocial and mental health services, only a few of them focussed on effective trauma therapy while the number of survivors who need the treatment are enormous. Tsunami survivors in this region are more likely to suffer from complex PTSD because of years of armed-conflict had been going on in this region. A survey conducted by Crisis Centre of the Faculty of Psychology University of Indonesia in collaboration with Terre des Hommes Germany showed high incidents of various psychological disorders amongst child survivors.. The program of trauma therapy and EMDR organized by Indonesian Psychological Association and TdH Germany funded by BMZ Germany since 2006 has treated a good number of tsunami survivors with severe PTSD. Hyperarousal, flashbacks and bad dreams, avoidance, and somatisation are common. There has been no indication whether there has been a natural process of recovery among those who were not treated. Starting in February 2008 a controlled study on the effectiveness of EMDR is conducted with 30 tsunami survivors with PTSD that will be randomized into two groups of 15. The treatment group will be given EMDR therapy until April 2008 and waitlist group will be given EMDR in May 2008. The effectiveness of EMDR will be measured using IES, HTQ, DES pre and post treatment with EMDR. First follow up will be collected until June 2008.

Conference

English

Shinto Sukirna
Tri Iswardana Sadaturn
Yulia Direzkia

Sukirna, S., Sadaturn, T. I., & Direzkia, Y. (2008, June). Applying EMDR for tsunami survivors with severe PTSD in a disaster region with minimum mental health facilities. Poster presented at the 9th EMDR Europe Association Conference, London, England