EMDR for Survivors of Life-Threatening Cardiac Events: Results of a Pilot Study

Abstract

This pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and concomitant depressive and anxiety symptoms in survivors of life-threatening cardiac events. Forty-two patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation who (a) qualified for the PTSD criterion "A" in relation to a cardiac event and (b) presented clinically significant PTSD symptoms were randomized to a 4-week treatment of EMDR or imaginal exposure (IE). Data were gathered on PTSD, anxiety, and depressive symptoms at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 6-month follow-up. EMDR was effective in reducing PTSD, depressive, and anxiety symptoms and performed significantly better than IE for all variables. These findings provide preliminary support for EMDR as an effective treatment for the symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety that can follow a life-threatening cardiac event.

The effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in reducing pathological worry in patients with generalized anxiety disorder: a preliminary study

“…Reviewing the literature clearly indicated that EMDR is effective in various anxiety disorders, including PTSD [18][19][20], social anxiety [21][22][23][24], specific phobia [25] and reducing symptoms of anxiety in other anxiety disorders [26][27][28][29]. However, few studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of EMDR for the treatment of GAD and its main symptoms -pathological worry.…”

Efficacy of Eye Movements Desensitization and Reprocessing on the Quality of Life of the Patients with Myocardial Infarction

“…Arabia, et al (2011) studied the effect of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) treatment on the post-trauma stress disorder (PTSD) and symptoms of anxiety and depression in the survivors with life-threatening cardiac events. The results showed that EMDR was an effective treatment in order to reduce the symptoms of PTSD, depression and anxiety, which can be occurred followed by the life-threatening cardiac events.…”

“…The results showed that EMDR was an effective treatment in order to reduce the symptoms of PTSD, depression and anxiety, which can be occurred followed by the life-threatening cardiac events. The EMDR treatment could substantially reduce the level of significance of all the variables more than the exposure therapy (Arabia et al, 2011). Therefore, in patients with cardiac events, the treatment of anxiety, depression, and the symptoms of PTSD, can improve the quality of life in all aspects of patient's life.…”

Is EMDR an Evidenced-Based Treatment for Depression? A Review of the Literature

“…When treating PTSD with EMDR, comorbid depression improves in almost all cases and EMDR appears to be better at treating this than imaginal exposure (Arabia, Manca, & Solomon, 2011), waiting list controls (Hogberg et al, 2007;B. O. Rothbaum, 1997), standard care (Marcus, Marquis, & Sakai, 1997), fluoxetine or placebo pills (van der Kolk et al, 2007).…”

“…Without a statistical sample size calculation one cannot be sure, and the standard care treatment in that study was extremely variable. Two studies call themselves pilots (Arabia et al, 2011;Ironson et al, 2002) so here a small sample size is to expected.…”