Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing as a treatment for tinnitus
Description
Objectives/Hypothesis:
To determine the effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) as a treatment for tinnitus.
Study Design:
Single‐site prospective interventional clinical trial at a university hospital in the United Kingdom. Methods Participants were provided with tEMDR. This is a bespoke EMDR protocol that was developed specifically to treat individuals with tinnitus. Participants received a maximum of 10 sessions of tEMDR. Outcome measures including tinnitus questionnaires and mood questionnaires were recorded at baseline, discharge, and at 6 months postdischarge.
Results:
Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory scores demonstrated a statistically significant improvement at discharge after EMDR intervention (P = .0005 and P = .0098, respectively); this improvement was maintained at 6 months postdischarge. There was also a moderate but not significant (P = .0625) improvement in Beck Anxiety Inventory scores.
Conclusions:
This study has demonstrated that the provision of tEMDR has resulted in a clinically and statistically significant improvement in tinnitus symptoms in the majority of those participants who took part. Furthermore, the treatment effect was maintained at 6 months after treatment ceased. This study is of particular interest, as the study protocol was designed to be purposefully inclusive of a diverse range of tinnitus patients. However, as a small uncontrolled study, these results do not consider the significant effects of placebo and therapist interaction. Larger high‐quality studies are essential for the verification of these preliminary results.
To determine the effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) as a treatment for tinnitus.
Study Design:
Single‐site prospective interventional clinical trial at a university hospital in the United Kingdom. Methods Participants were provided with tEMDR. This is a bespoke EMDR protocol that was developed specifically to treat individuals with tinnitus. Participants received a maximum of 10 sessions of tEMDR. Outcome measures including tinnitus questionnaires and mood questionnaires were recorded at baseline, discharge, and at 6 months postdischarge.
Results:
Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory scores demonstrated a statistically significant improvement at discharge after EMDR intervention (P = .0005 and P = .0098, respectively); this improvement was maintained at 6 months postdischarge. There was also a moderate but not significant (P = .0625) improvement in Beck Anxiety Inventory scores.
Conclusions:
This study has demonstrated that the provision of tEMDR has resulted in a clinically and statistically significant improvement in tinnitus symptoms in the majority of those participants who took part. Furthermore, the treatment effect was maintained at 6 months after treatment ceased. This study is of particular interest, as the study protocol was designed to be purposefully inclusive of a diverse range of tinnitus patients. However, as a small uncontrolled study, these results do not consider the significant effects of placebo and therapist interaction. Larger high‐quality studies are essential for the verification of these preliminary results.
Format
Journal
Original Work Citation
Phillips, J. S., Erskine, S., Moore, T., Nunney, I., & Wright, C. (2019, January). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing as a treatment for tinnitus. The Laryngoscope. doi:10.1002/lary.27841
Citation
“Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing as a treatment for tinnitus,” Francine Shapiro Library, accessed May 14, 2024, https://francineshapirolibrary.omeka.net/items/show/25727.