EMDR in the treatment for post-traumatic stress after stillbirth: How can we help grieving mothers?

Objective: Despite advances in obstetric and neonatal care, many parents will experience the stillborn birth or death of a infant. Stillbirth is a devastating experience for women, and sometimes leads to depression, anxiety, traumatic grief and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There has been very little research examining effective psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress after stillbirth. This pilot study explores the use of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in the treatment for post-traumatic stress after stillbirth. Methods: The pilot study consisted of a ‘before and after’ treatment design combined with follow-up measurements 0.5-3 years after EMDR treatment. Quantitative data was collected using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) questionnaires. In addition, qualitative data from individual interviews with the participants was collected. Participants in the study were four out-patient women with post-traumatic stress after stillbirth (three of the four experienced fatal state and emergency caesarean section) in an urban area in Japan. Results: Three of the four participants reported reduction of post-traumatic stress symptoms after treatment (ranging from two to three sessions) and the beneficial effects remained after 0.5-3 years. One participant only had the assessment session. Symptoms of intrusive thoughts seemed most sensitive for treatment. None of the participants completed the full EMDR treatment protocol. The participants were not prepared to work with other disturbing memories. They also hesitated to lose some of memories about the stillborn infant. All of the participants were afraid of how they might be influenced in the next pregnancy. Conclusion: EMDR might be a useful tool in the treatment for post-traumatic stress after stillbirth, but we have to take great consideration about the timing of EMDR treatment. Further research is required.

Conference

English

Kimiko Sugimoto

Sugimoto, K. (2010, July). EMDR in the treatment for post-traumatic stress after stillbirth: How can we help grieving mothers? Poster presented at the 1st EMDR Asia Conference, Bali, Indonesia