Although you may have heard about one person’s success with EMDR, the real reason for its success as a trauma healing methodology is that it has been studied extensively, with consistent data supporting its efficacy. Below are several of the most thorough and commonly accessed studies supporting the effectiveness of EMDR. Each study title includes a summary of what that study indicates.
Title of Study: Efficacy of eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing for patients with posttraumatic-stress disorder: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
From Conclusion: “[A] quantitative meta-analysis on the findings of 26 randomized controlled trials of EMDR therapy for PTSD published between 1991 and 2013 . . . confirmed that EMDR therapy significantly reduces the symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and subjective distress in PTSD patients.”
Number of Times Referenced by Other Studies: 300
Citation: Chen, Y. R., Hung, K. W., Tsai, J. C., Chu, H., Chung, M. H., Chen, S. R., Liao, Y. M., Ou, K. L., Chang, Y. C., & Chou, K. R. (2014). Efficacy of eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing for patients with posttraumatic-stress disorder: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PloS one, 9(8), e103676. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0103676
Title of Study: Prolonged exposure and EMDR for PTSD v. a PTSD waiting-list condition: Effects on symptoms of psychosis, depression and social functioning in patients with chronic psychotic disorders
From Conclusion: “In patients with chronic psychotic disorders, prolonged exposure (PE) and EMDR not only reduced PTSD symptoms but also paranoid thoughts. Importantly, in PE and EMDR, more patients accomplished the status of their psychotic disorder in remission. Clinically, these effects are highly relevant and provide empirical support to the notion that delivering PTSD treatment to patients with psychotic disorders and PTSD deserves increasing recognition and acceptance among clinicians.”
Number of Times Referenced by Other Studies: 160
Citation: de Bont, P. A., van den Berg, D. P., van der Vleugel, B. M., de Roos, C., de Jongh, A., van der Gaag, M., & van Minnen, A. M. (2016). Prolonged exposure and EMDR for PTSD v. a PTSD waiting-list condition: Effects on symptoms of psychosis, depression and social functioning in patients with chronic psychotic disorders. Psychological medicine, 46(11), 2411–2421. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291716001094
Title of Study: Treating PTSD in patients with psychosis: a within-group controlled feasibility study examining the efficacy and safety of evidence-based PE and EMDR protocols
From Conclusion: “An intention-to-treat analysis of the 10 patients starting treatment showed that the PTSD treatment protocols of prolonged exposure (PE) and EMDR significantly reduced PTSD symptom severity; PE and EMDR were equally effective and safe. Eight of the 10 patients completed the full intervention period. Seven of the 10 patients (70%) no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD at follow-up. No serious adverse events occurred, nor did patients show any worsening of hallucinations, delusions, psychosis proneness, general psychopathology, or social functioning. The results of this feasibility trial suggest that PTSD patients with comorbid psychotic disorders benefit from trauma-focused treatment approaches such as PE and EMDR.”
Number of Times Referenced by Other Studies: 150
Citation: de Bont, P. A., van Minnen, A., & de Jongh, A. (2013). Treating PTSD in patients with psychosis: A within-group controlled feasibility study examining the efficacy and safety of evidence-based PE and EMDR protocols. Behavior Therapy, 44(4), 717–730. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2013.07.002
Title of Study: A randomised comparison of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) in disaster-exposed children
From Conclusion: “Standardised CBT and EMDR interventions can significantly improve functioning of disaster-exposed children.”
Number of Times Referenced by Other Studies: 231
Citation: de Roos, C., Greenwald, R., den Hollander-Gijsman, M., Noorthoorn, E., van Buuren, S., & de Jongh, A. (2011). A randomised comparison of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) in disaster-exposed children. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 2, 10.3402/ejpt.v2i0.5694. https://doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v2i0.5694
Title of Study: Comparison of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, cognitive behavioral writing therapy, and wait-list in pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder following single-incident trauma: A multicenter randomized clinical trial
From Conclusion: “EMDR and CBWT are brief, trauma-focused treatments that yielded equally large remission rates for PTSD and reductions in the severity of PTSD and comorbid difficulties in children and adolescents seeking treatment for PTSD tied to a single event. Further trials of both treatments with PTSD tied to multiple traumas are warranted.”
Number of Times Referenced by Other Studies: 119
Citation: de Roos, C., van der Oord, S., Zijlstra, B., Lucassen, S., Perrin, S., Emmelkamp, P., & de Jongh, A. (2017). Comparison of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, cognitive behavioral writing therapy, and wait-list in pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder following single-incident trauma: A multicenter randomized clinical trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 58(11), 1219–1228. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12768
Title of Study: Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: what works in children with posttraumatic stress symptoms? A randomized controlled trial
From Conclusion: “Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and EMDR are effective and efficient in reducing post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in children.”
Number of Times Referenced by Other Studies: 274
Citation: Diehle, J., Opmeer, B. C., Boer, F., Mannarino, A. P., & Lindauer, R. J. (2015). Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: What works in children with posttraumatic stress symptoms? A randomized controlled trial. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 24(2), 227–236. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-014-0572-5
Title of Study: Efficacy of a trauma-focused treatment approach for dental phobia: A randomized clinical trial
From Conclusion: “The findings suggest that therapy aimed at processing memories of past dental events [via EMDR] can be helpful for patients with dental phobia.”
Number of Times Referenced by Other Studies: 93
Citation: Doering, S., Ohlmeier, M. C., de Jongh, A., Hofmann, A., & Bisping, V. (2013). Efficacy of a trauma-focused treatment approach for dental phobia: A randomized clinical trial. European Journal of Oral Sciences, 121(6), 584–593. https://doi.org/10.1111/eos.12090
Title of Study: Assessing the long-term effects of EMDR: Results from an 18-month follow-up study with adult female survivors of CSA
From Conclusion: “The current study provides preliminary evidence that the therapeutic benefits of EMDR for adult female survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) can be maintained over an 18-month period. Furthermore, there is some support for the suggestion that EMDR did so more efficiently and provided a greater sense of trauma resolution than did routine individual therapy.”
Number of Times Referenced by Other Studies:
Citation: Edmond, T., & Rubin, A. (2004). Assessing the long-term effects of EMDR: Results from an 18-month follow-up study with adult female survivors of CSA. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 13(1), 69–86. https://doi.org/10.1300/J070v13n01_04
Title of Study: Neurophysiological correlates of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing sessions: Preliminary evidence for traumatic memories integration
From Conclusion: “Our results suggest that EMDR leads to an integration of dissociated aspects of traumatic memories and, consequently, a decrease of hyperarousal symptoms.”
Number of Times Referenced by Other Studies: 27
Citation: Farina, B., Imperatori, C., Quintiliani, M. I., Castelli Gattinara, P., Onofri, A., Lepore, M., Brunetti, R., Losurdo, A., Testani, E., & Della Marca, G. (2015). Neurophysiological correlates of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing sessions: Preliminary evidence for traumatic memories integration. Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging, 35(6), 460–468. https://doi.org/10.1111/cpf.12184
Title of Study: The effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing toward adults with major depressive disorder: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
From Conclusion: “In general, notwithstanding the limitations of this meta-analysis, our study further confirmed the efficacy of EMDR in treating adults with MDD.”
Number of Times Referenced by Other Studies: 27
Citation: Yan, S., Shan, Y., Zhong, S., Miao, H., Luo, Y., Ran, H., & Jia, Y. (2021). The effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing toward adults with major depressive disorder: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 700458. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.700458
Title of Study: The efficacy of EMDR in the treatment of depression
From Conclusion: “Results showed significant improvements on all measures with large effect sizes. At 95% confidence interval, the results found EMDR as an effective treatment for depressive and trauma symptoms and for improving the quality of life of the participants... Three-month follow-up interview with the EMDR participants confirmed that the results had been maintained.”
Number of Times Referenced by Other Studies: 89
Citation: Gauhar, Y. W. M. (2016). The efficacy of EMDR in the treatment of depression. Journal of EMDR Practice & Research, 10(2), 59–69. https://doi.org/10.1891/1933-3196.10.2.59
Title of Study: EMDR–Teens–cPTSD: Efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing in adolescents with complex PTSD secondary to childhood abuse: A case series
From Conclusion: “The results of this study are encouraging and suggest that EMDR may be effective in the symptom management reducing post-traumatic symptoms and certain comorbid disorders frequently seen in adolescents who have experienced childhood abuse.”
Number of Times Referenced by Other Studies: None. (Published October 2024)
Citation: Rolling, J., Fath, M., Zanfonato, T., Durpoix, A., Mengin, A. C., & Schröder, C. M. (2024). EMDR–Teens–cPTSD: Efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing in adolescents with complex PTSD secondary to childhood abuse: A case series. Healthcare (2227-9032), 12(19), 1993. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12191993
Title of Study: The efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing treatment for depression: A meta-analysis and meta-regression of randomized controlled trials
From Conclusion: “This study confirms that EMDR is effective in treating depression, particularly in severe cases, and highlights its potential as a non-pharmacological intervention.”
Number of Times Referenced by Other Studies:
Citation: Seok, J.-W., & Kim, J. I. (2024). The efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing treatment for depression: A meta-analysis and meta-regression of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 13(18), 5633. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13185633
Title of Study: The effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing toward anxiety disorder: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
From Conclusion: “Our meta-analysis indicates that EMDR is efficacious for reducing symptoms of anxiety, panic, phobia, and behavioural/somatic symptoms.”
Number of Times Referenced by Other Studies: 61
Citation: Yunitri, N., Kao, C. C., Chu, H., Voss, J., Chiu, H. L., Liu, D., Shen, S. H., Chang, P. C., Kang, X. L., & Chou, K. R. (2020). The effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing toward anxiety disorder: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of psychiatric research, 123, 102–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.01.005
Title of Study: Early psychological preventive intervention for workplace violence: A randomized controlled explorative and comparative study between EMDR-recent event and critical incident stress debriefing
From Conclusion: “Results showed that after three months, [distress] scores were significantly lower with EMDR-Recent Event (EMDR-RE) and delayed EMDR-RE compared to critical incident stress debriefing (CISD). After 48 hours and three months, none of the EMDR-RE-treated victims showed PTSD symptoms.”
Number of Times Referenced by Other Studies: 70
Citation: Tarquinio, C., Rotonda, C., Houllé, W. A., Montel, S., Rydberg, J. A., Minary, L., Dellucci, H., Tarquinio, P., Fayard, A., & Alla, F. (2016). Early psychological preventive intervention for workplace violence: A randomized controlled explorative and comparative study between EMDR-recent event and critical incident stress debriefing. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 37(11), 787–799. https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2016.1224282
Title of Study: Post-incident psychosocial interventions after a traumatic incident in the workplace: a systematic review of current research evidence and clinical guidance
Number of Times Referenced by Other Studies:
Citation: Billings, J., Wong, N. Z. Y., Nicholls, H., Burton, P., Zosmer, M., Albert, I., Grey, N., El-Leithy, S., Murphy, D., Tehrani, N., Wheatley, J., Bloomfield, M. A. P., & Greene, T. (2023). Post-incident psychosocial interventions after a traumatic incident in the workplace: a systematic review of current research evidence and clinical guidance. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 14:2.