A trauma-focused approach for patients with tinnitus: the effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing – a multicentre pilot trial

Abstract

Background: While normal tinnitus is a short-term sensation of limited duration, in 10–15% of the general population it develops into a chronic condition. For 3–6% it seriously interferes with many aspects of life. Objective: The aim of this trial was to assess effectiveness of a trauma-focused approach, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), in reducing tinnitus distress. Methods: The sample consisted of 35 adults with high levels of chronic tinnitus distress from five general hospitals in the Netherlands. Participants served as their own controls. After pre-assessment (T1), participants waited for a period of 3 months, after which they were assessed again (T2) before they received six 90 min manualized EMDR treatment sessions in which tinnitus-related traumatic or stressful events were the focus of treatment. Standardized self-report measures, the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI), Mini-Tinnitus Questionnaire (Mini-TQ), Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) and the Self-Rating Inventory List for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (SRIP), were completed again halfway through treatment (T3), post-treatment (T4) and at 3 months’ follow-up (T5). Results: Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed significant improvement after EMDR treatment on the primary outcome, TFI. Compared to the waiting-list condition, scores significantly decreased in EMDR treatment [t(34) = −4.25, p < .001, Cohen’s dz = .72]. Secondary outcomes, Mini-TQ and SCL-90, also decreased significantly. The treatment effects remained stable at 3 months’ follow-up. No adverse events or side effects were noted in this trial. Conclusions: This is the first study to suggest that EMDR is effective in reducing tinnitus distress. Randomized controlled trials are warranted.

Bimodal Therapy for Chronic Subjective Tinnitus: A Randomized Controlled Trial of EMDR and TRT Versus CBT and TRT

“…Furthermore, our results are consistent with the findings of the pilot study of Rikkert et al (2018) reporting significant reduction on the TFI after EMDR-treatment. The other exploratory study on EMDR and tinnitus ( Phillips et al, 2019 ) also showed an improvement after treatment with EMDR with a mean decrease of 20 points on the THI which remained stable at the 6-month follow up.…”

“…Few studies have reported the use of EMDR as a treatment method for tinnitus (Zengin, 2009;Hochstenbach-Nederpel, 2015;Rikkert et al, 2018;Phillips et al, 2019), but outcomes remain unclear. Although some research has been carried out on EMDR and tinnitus, only two studies have attempted to investigate the efficacy systematically.…”

“…Although some research has been carried out on EMDR and tinnitus, only two studies have attempted to investigate the efficacy systematically. Rikkert et al (2018) conducted a pilot study showing promising results in treating 35 participants with high levels of chronic tinnitus distress with EMDR. Compared to the waiting list condition, scores on the tinnitus functional index (TFI), mini-tinnitus questionnaire (Mini-TQ), and symptom checklist-90 (SCL-90) decreased significantly in the treatment group (Rikkert et al, 2018).…”

“…Rikkert et al (2018) conducted a pilot study showing promising results in treating 35 participants with high levels of chronic tinnitus distress with EMDR. Compared to the waiting list condition, scores on the tinnitus functional index (TFI), mini-tinnitus questionnaire (Mini-TQ), and symptom checklist-90 (SCL-90) decreased significantly in the treatment group (Rikkert et al, 2018). A recent pilot study with a sample size of 14 participants was published, reporting a decrease of more than 20 points on the tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) after EMDR treatment (Phillips et al, 2019).…”

Facts on psychotraumatology

“…(1) Trauma and PTSD in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys (Kessler et al, 2017) (2) A trauma-focused approach for patients with tinnitus: the effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessinga multicentre pilot trial (Rikkert, van Rood, de Roos, Ratter, & van Den Hout, 2018) (3) Strengthening mental health care systems for Syrian refugees in Europe and the Middle East: integrating scalable psychological interventions in eight countries (Sijbrandij et al, 2017) (4) Clinical Virtual Reality tools to advance the prevention, assessment and treatment of PTSD (Rizzo & Shilling, 2017) (5) The impact of childhood sexual abuse on the outcome of intensive trauma-focused treatment for PTSD (Wagenmans, Van Minnen, Sleijpen, & De Jongh, 2018) Interestingly, highest scoring papers on Altmetric are not always the same papers as those downloaded. The scores (for an example see Figure 2) mostly reflect Twitter and LinkedIn activity and some news and blog items:…”