Eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) treatment in patients with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Background : Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition marked by the development of symptoms after exposure to traumatic life event .The impact of PTSD on the patients is widely reported. Among the many treatments, the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapy used specifically to treat PTSD. People who have suffered for years from distressing memories , nightmare ,abuse or other traumatic event can often gain relief from EMDR. The purpose of this study was to explore EMDR treatment effectiveness in decreasing of tragic events reminding in PTSD patients. Method : According to DSM IV criteria 71 patients with PTSD in Imam Hossein Hospital of Shahid Beheshti University , M.C , Tehran ,Iran were selected for EMDR treatment .All patients had finished high school . They were subjected to a psychological and psychiatrical evaluations at the time of inclusion in the program. Treatment sessions took place once a week, and the average number of EMDR therapy sessions was five. Treatment ended when the patient reported not having the typical PTSD symptoms on his/her daily life. Result : EMDR Therapy has caused 66% blurriness in harmful event, 93% getting far and 14% cleared harmful event from mind, 89% mentioned that are senseless about event, 40% said this harmful memory comes to their mind in a scrawl mood. In 2/8% of patients EMDR affected image of event became clear. Conclusion: Our results indicate that this ype of therapy is effective to treat many of the PTSD symptoms that can impair people’s daily life activities.

Journal

English

Parvin Dibajnia
Alireza Zahirrodin
Maryam Moghadasin
Zahra Gheidar

Dibajnia, P., Zahirrodin, A., Moghadasin, M., & Gheider, Z. (2012). Eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) treatment in patients with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Journal of Basic and Applied Scientific Research, 2(9), 9321-9325