Clinical strategies for the treatment of trauma-related eating disorders, integrating DBT and EMDR: A pilot study

In recent years clinical practice has recorded an increasing number of clients diagnosed with Trauma-related EDs. This kind of clients have often a comorbidity with Personality Disorders, mostly in the borderline spectrum. Clinicians challenge was therefore to be able to provide effective treatments. This paper aim to introduce a pilot study curried out in an outpatient Public Health Service for diagnosis and treatment of Eating Disorders (EDs). We designed a treatment plan which integrates Top-Down and Bottom-Up methods for the treatment of trauma-related EDs, through the use of Behavioral Dialectic Therapy (DBT) and EMDR. A bi-phasic treatment model will be described: Phase 1: a) stabilization of the patient through integrated medical-nutritional and psychotherapeutic interventions b) reinforcement of the skills learned in DBT skills training through R.D.I. (Korn & Leeds) Phase 2: EMDR 3-sponge protocol. N10 Patients were enrolled. The presence of traumatic events was assess with the inventory of traumatic experiences (TEC). Three dimensions were assessed: 1) general psychological suffering; 2) Eating disorders symptomatology; 3) emotional dysregulation. Although it is necessary to replicate the study on a greater number of cases, the results of the pilot study are comforting and support the effort for the definition of an integrated DBT + EMDR model for trauma-related EDs clients.

Conference

English

Ugolini, S., & Cotugno, A. (2021, June). Clinical strategies for the treatment of trauma-related eating disorders, integrating DBT and EMDR: A pilot study. Presentation at the 20th EMDR Europe Association Conference, Virtual