Towards evidence-based applications of EMDR to the treatment of psychosis: Results from the EASE feasibility trial
Description
Extensive research has linked trauma to the risk of developing serious mental health diffculties, including psychosis. Furthermore, a range of emotional and psychological consequences of trauma have been implicated in the formation and maintenance of distressing symptoms of psychosis, such as hallucinations and delusions.
To date, systematic investigations of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of trauma-focused therapies in people with psychosis have been sparse, and mostly focused on individuals with comorbid Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder who do not necessarily struggle with ongoing or ‘active’ symptoms of psychosis. In this keynote lecture, after covering important key facts on the link between trauma and distressing psychotic experiences and an overview of a 16 session ‘EMDR for psychosis’ intervention developed for clients with early psychosis by EMDR consultants in Lancashire, we will illustrate the findings of the first randomised controlled trial considering the application of EMDR not just to clients with psychosis who also meet criteria for PTSD, but more broadly trauma survivors struggling with distressing psychotic symptoms that require support from Early Intervention for psychosis services.
The EASE feasibility trial, funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research, considered the acceptability of this new using EMDR in people with active symptoms of psychosis, the promise of efficacy of this intervention and ultimately the feasibility of conducting a future large-scale investigation of EMDR in psychosis services across the UK. In this trial, we recruited 60 participants supported by Early Intervention services, and randomly allocated them to receiving 16 sessions of EMDR or their usual NHS treatment. Participants were followed up over 12 months to evaluate the impacts of the interventions on a range of health outcomes, and their experiences of therapy via in-depth interviews. The results of the trial indicated that people with early psychosis are willing and able to engage in EMDR, that EMDR can be administered with high levels of fidelity both in-person and remotely, and that EMDR is associated with important ‘promise of effficacy’ on a range of clinical outcomes valued by trauma survivors with psychosis. The results of the trial suggest that EMDR may represent an important intervention to augment the care of individuals with lived experience of trauma and psychosis, and that large-scale, multi-centre trial to consolidate the evidence base of this treatment approach is therefore not only feasible, but warranted.
To date, systematic investigations of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of trauma-focused therapies in people with psychosis have been sparse, and mostly focused on individuals with comorbid Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder who do not necessarily struggle with ongoing or ‘active’ symptoms of psychosis. In this keynote lecture, after covering important key facts on the link between trauma and distressing psychotic experiences and an overview of a 16 session ‘EMDR for psychosis’ intervention developed for clients with early psychosis by EMDR consultants in Lancashire, we will illustrate the findings of the first randomised controlled trial considering the application of EMDR not just to clients with psychosis who also meet criteria for PTSD, but more broadly trauma survivors struggling with distressing psychotic symptoms that require support from Early Intervention for psychosis services.
The EASE feasibility trial, funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research, considered the acceptability of this new using EMDR in people with active symptoms of psychosis, the promise of efficacy of this intervention and ultimately the feasibility of conducting a future large-scale investigation of EMDR in psychosis services across the UK. In this trial, we recruited 60 participants supported by Early Intervention services, and randomly allocated them to receiving 16 sessions of EMDR or their usual NHS treatment. Participants were followed up over 12 months to evaluate the impacts of the interventions on a range of health outcomes, and their experiences of therapy via in-depth interviews. The results of the trial indicated that people with early psychosis are willing and able to engage in EMDR, that EMDR can be administered with high levels of fidelity both in-person and remotely, and that EMDR is associated with important ‘promise of effficacy’ on a range of clinical outcomes valued by trauma survivors with psychosis. The results of the trial suggest that EMDR may represent an important intervention to augment the care of individuals with lived experience of trauma and psychosis, and that large-scale, multi-centre trial to consolidate the evidence base of this treatment approach is therefore not only feasible, but warranted.
Format
Conference
Language
English
Original Work Citation
Varese, F., Malkin, D., Keane, D., & Bhutani, G. (2023, March). Towards evidence-based applications of EMDR to the treatment of psychosis: Results from the EASE feasibility trial. Keynote presented at the EMDR UK Annual Conference & AGM, Glasgow, Scotland
Citation
“Towards evidence-based applications of EMDR to the treatment of psychosis: Results from the EASE feasibility trial,” Francine Shapiro Library, accessed April 27, 2024, https://francineshapirolibrary.omeka.net/items/show/28259.