PTSD Symptoms Comparison EMDR and NFB with IPV Survivors: Ex-Post-Facto Study by

Abstract

Given the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in intimate partner violence survivors, the need for personalized treatment plans for intimate partner violence (IPV) survivor post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) care, and no comparison of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and neurofeedback therapy (NFB) in response to PTSD care, the researcher aimed to fill the gap in research. Using archival data, a comparison between EMDR therapy and NFB therapy in response to IPV survivor PTSD was analyzed. While there exists support for each modality in the existing literature, there does not exist a comparison of the two in response to IPV survivor PTSD symptoms. The theoretical lens utilized for the study were the theory of neuroscience (TN) and humanistic person-centered theory (PCT). The applied research methodology was quantitative, and the research design was ex-post-facto quasi-experimental. Findings did not support a statistically significant difference between the EMDR group and the NFB group in response to pre and post PTSD symptoms thereby failing to reject the null hypothesis for the main research question of the study. Findings pertaining to the sub-questions however noted a statically significant decrease in pre-and post-mean scores within the EMDR group and the NFB group thereby rejecting the null hypotheses for both sub-questions. The study’s findings suggest that NFB carries similar relief of PTSD symptoms as EMDR does. Several limitations pertaining to the study sample’s characteristics, external factors, and the study’s design exist. For example, given the study’s design, a control group was not present. Recommendations for future research include considering the interventions, ENDR and NFB, during the conceptualization and development of theories to test into practice while also testing the efficacy of other alternative therapeutic interventions that serve to be helpful for PTSD care. By doing so, researchers may be able to develop appropriate, effective, and restorative care for IPV survivors suffering from PTSD symptoms along with a wide variety of other mental health concerns.