The effects of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy on posttraumatic stress disorder in survivors of the 1999 Marmara, Turkey, earthquake.

Abstract

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS This study obtained strong evidence that EMDR can be effective in thetreatment of PTSD (as measured by the PSS-SR) in a group of naturaldisaster survivors receiving treatment in tent-city clinics and that these effectsare maintained over time. Although only 41 clients participated in thisexperiment, we have no reason to assume that they were not representative ofthe approximately 1,500 people being treated for PTSD with EMDR through-out the area affected by the Marmara, Turkey, earthquake. Furthermore, ananalogue delayed treatment analysis indicated that the EMDR effects werenot simply because of the passage of time. Participants’ SUD and VOCscores, which served as therapy process measures, showed significantchanges during treatment, reflecting a decrease in emotional disturbance andan increase in positive self-attributions. The number of sessions ( M 5.02)and the magnitude of the treatment effects are consistent with results reportedin the most rigorous randomized controlled EMDR studies (Maxfield &Hyer, 2002) of single-event trauma.Although the present field conditions necessitated the inclusion of par-ticipants on medication, the study was not designed to investigate the influ-ence of psychotropic medication. However, it is noteworthy that, as indicatedin Table 3, medication was neither additive, nor detrimental to EMDRtreatment effects with PTSD. It is not known whether patients who discon-tinued medication after completing treatment did so following the advice ofa physician, or simply decided to do so independently. However, the main-tenance of the positive outcomes at the same level as those who were not