EMDR und biofeedback in der behandlung der posttraumatischen belastungsstorung - Erweiterung der evaluation des neuropsychotherapeutischen behandlungsprogramms EMDR and biofeedback in the treatment of post traumatic stress disorder - extension of the evaluation of the neuropsychological treatment program

In the year (2007) the manual of the neuropsychotherapeutic intervention program EMDR and biofeedback in the therapy of posttraumatic stress disorder by Jacobs and de Jong was published. The therapeutic concept based on new neuroscienctific findings, which declare a dissociation of implicit and explicit traumamemory as one reason for emergence a PTSD. On this background the treatment program integrates selective modules. The allocation of information carried out by an educational movie for patients, specific cognitive-behavioural intervention techniques, which are supplemented by biofeedback-supported Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR). During the treatment the skin conductance (electrodermal activity), which is a stress parameter, is mesured. This program was already evaluated in the pilot-study. The patient pool could be enlarged, so that 28 patients were available for the evaluation. Additionally the educational movie was examined on efficiency. The total feedback was positive. After therapy-end the PTSD-symptomatology decreased consistently (demp=2.48), as well as the psychological stress in another problem areas (demp=1.30). Moreover the EMDR-method achieved objective a significant decrease of the autonomic arousal (demp=.79) and subjective an explicit reduction of the felt stress (demp=2.40), while growth of the coherence of a worked out positive cognition (demp=2.52). Three- and 12-month follow-up analysis could demonstrate the stability and sustainability of the changes. The intervention program EMDR and biofeedback was also proved to be efficient (Ø 19 sessions) and effective (demp=1.39) in the enlarged sample, with high acceptance by the patients.

Book Section

German

Stefan Jacobs
Miriam Rackowitz
Anna de Jong
Micha Strack

Jacobs, S., Rackowitz, M., Strack, M., & de Jongh, A. (2009). [EMDR and biofeedback in the treatment of post traumatic stress disorder - extension of the evaluation of the neuropsychological treatment program]. In S. Jacobs (Ed.), Neurowissenschaften und Traumatherapie. Grundlagen und Behandlungskonzepte (pp. 51-81). Universittsverlag Gttingen. German