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Related Experiment Video

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Simultaneous Application of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation during Virtual Reality Exposure

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Published on: January 18, 2021

Treating Trauma in Addiction with EMDR: A Pilot Study.

Béatrice Perez-Dandieu¹, Géraldine Tapia

¹a Clinical Psychologist , Centre d'Etude et d'Information sur les Drogues (CEID), Bordeaux, France; Institut Michel Montaigne, Centre de Thérapies Familiales et de Traumatismes , Cenon , France.

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs

|September 5, 2014

Summary

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) significantly reduced PTSD and depressive symptoms in patients with chronic dependency. However, EMDR did not directly improve addiction symptoms in this study.

Keywords:

EMDR PTSD substance abuse traumatic memory treatment

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Area of Science:

Psychiatry
Psychology
Addiction Medicine

Background:

Chronic dependency often co-occurs with PTSD, depression, and anxiety.
Standard treatments for substance abuse may not fully address underlying psychological trauma.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the efficacy of the standard Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) protocol in patients with chronic substance dependency.
To determine if EMDR can lead to measurable changes in addiction and associated psychological symptoms.

Main Methods:

A randomized controlled trial comparing Treatment as Usual (TAU) with TAU plus eight sessions of EMDR (TAU+EMDR).
Twelve patients with alcohol and/or drug dependency were enrolled.
Assessment of PTSD, addiction symptoms, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and alexithymia.

Main Results:

The TAU+EMDR group demonstrated significant reductions in PTSD symptoms.
Significant decreases in depressive symptoms were observed in the TAU+EMDR group, unlike the TAU-only group.
The TAU+EMDR group also showed significant improvements in self-esteem and alexithymia.

Conclusions:

The standard EMDR protocol shows promise for treating PTSD symptoms in patients with substance abuse disorders.
EMDR may indirectly benefit addiction recovery by improving comorbid psychological conditions such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.