What do clients say about their experiences of EMDR in the research literature? A systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative research papers

Veterans' experiences of somatic experiencing and prolonged exposure therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder: A qualitative analysis

PURPOSE

Despite the proliferation of research into evidence based treatment for military PTSD there is little evidence for treatment assignment criterion and military based PTSD still demonstrates low remission rates.

METHOD

Thirty participants in a randomized control trial comparing Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Somatic Experiencing (SE) were interviewed on their experiences in therapy and their responses assessed using a descriptive phenomenological analysis approach to delineate the central tenets of the two therapeutic approaches.

RESULTS

Results indicated that participants from both therapies covered themes of the experience of change, the experience of the therapeutic relationship and the therapeutic process. Within these themes, SE and PE participants reported both similar experiences, such as the predominance of physiological or bodily experiences and also described nuanced differences, specifically pertaining to therapy characteristics. SE participants described the process in terms of learning a language, applicable to alternative scenarios and PE participants described the process in terms of conquering exposures in order to achieve respite from symptoms.

CONCLUSION

The current findings have relevance in terms of presenting the key elements of the distinct trauma therapies and determining treatment appropriateness based on desired outcomes. They highlight the commonalities and differences between the patient experience in PE and SE, specifically the relevance of the bodily response, treatment expertise and therapist characteristics in both treatments. Understanding the unique elements of PE, a gold-standard PTSD treatment and SE, a novel somatic-based psychotherapy, will allow for better treatment preparation for participants and potentially aid treatment assignment.

Clients' experiences of psychotherapeutic interventions addressing trauma

PURPOSE

This systematic review aimed to evaluate and synthesise qualitative research on adult clients' experiences of psychotherapeutic interventions addressing trauma across multiple modalities.

METHODS

Six databases (PsycINFO, MEDLINE, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, Scopus, and CINAHL) were systematically searched. Google Scholar and reference lists of included and other relevant reviews were also searched, and in total 37 studies met the inclusion criteria. Relevant data were extracted, quality assessed following the Critical Appraisal Skill Programme checklist, and data synthesised using thematic synthesis.

RESULTS

The specific helpful factors and perceived impact of the interventions aligned with their theoretical bases. Certain factors were perceived to be helpful or challenging regardless of the modality used, such as relational factors between the client and the therapist, and within group settings. Towards the end of the interventions, feelings of ambivalence and emotional struggles which pervaded the process gradually resolved, as a majority of the clients expressed a sense of benefit from the whole experience. Most of the studies included in this review were published post-2020, underscoring research interest towards clients' psychotherapeutic experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

The review provides a comprehensive understanding of helpful and challenging factors of interventions addressing trauma, as perceived by clients. The analysis serves as a foundation for future intervention development. Also, it highlights the importance of therapist responsiveness and discussions with clients at various intervention stages to foster a sense of safety, prevent early drop-outs, and emphasise clients as agents of change in their therapeutic process.

Exhausting, but necessary: the lived experience of participants in an intensive inpatient trauma treatment program

Background

Intensive inpatient treatment programs have shown robust results in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). How patients experience this treatment program and what changes they experience as a result of the treatment have, however, only scarcely been explored through qualitative studies.

Objective

This study aimed to explore the lived experience of participants in an intensive inpatient trauma treatment program. Our research questions were as follows: how do patients experience intensive trauma-focused treatment? How do they experience possible changes related to participating in the treatment program?

Methods

Six patients diagnosed with PTSD with significant comorbidities, who recently participated in an intensive 2-week (4 + 4 days) inpatient trauma treatment program with prolonged exposure (PE), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and therapist rotation (TR), were interviewed with a semi-structured qualitative interview. Transcripts were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.

Results

Our analysis resulted in five main themes: (1) the need to feel safe; (2) the benefits of many and different therapeutic encounters; (3) variable experience with elements of treatment; (4) intensity; and (5) experienced change. Our results suggest that feeling safe within the framework of the treatment program facilitated the treatment process. Many and different therapeutic encounters, both through TR and with ward staff, contributed to experienced change. All participants described the intensity as facilitative to trauma processing. However, most participants also describe often feeling too overwhelmed to benefit from all elements of the treatment program.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that participants experience the overall treatment program as beneficial and contributing to experienced change. Participants described the intensity of the program as exhausting, but necessary. Most did, however, report at times of being too overwhelmed to benefit from elements of the program. Consequently, our results prompt us to question the optimal level of intensity.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05342480. Date of registration: 2022-04-22.

Eye-movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) to prevent transition to psychosis in people with an at-risk mental state (ARMS): mixed method feasibility study

BACKGROUND

Trauma plays an important role in the development of psychosis, but no studies have investigated whether a trauma-focused therapy could prevent psychosis.

AIMS

This study aimed to establish whether it would be feasible to conduct a multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) to prevent psychosis in people with an at-risk mental state (ARMS), using eye-movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy (EMDR).

METHOD

This started as a mixed-method randomised study comparing EMDR to treatment as usual but, as a result of low participant recruitment, was changed to a single-arm feasibility study. The proposed primary outcome for an RCT was transition to psychosis at 12-month follow-up. Data on secondary outcomes were also collected. Qualitative interviews were conducted with patients and therapists.

RESULTS

Fourteen participants were recruited from the Early Intervention teams. Most people who expressed an interest in taking part attended an assessment to determine eligibility. All those eligible consented to take part. A total of 64% (7 of 11) of participants who were offered EMDR were followed up at 12 months. Of the 11 participants offered EMDR, one (11%, 95% CI: 0.2%, 48%) transitioned to psychosis. Nine patients and three therapists were interviewed. Participants who completed therapy (n = 4; mean 10.5 sessions) found EMDR helpful, but those who discontinued (n = 6; mean 5.2 sessions) said it had not benefitted them overall. Therapists said EMDR could be effective, although not for all patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Future studies recruiting people with an ARMS to an RCT may need to extend recruitment beyond Early Intervention teams. Although some individuals found EMDR helpful, reasons for discontinuing need to be addressed in future studies.

Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in prison and forensic services: a qualitative study of lived experience

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common in people with serious mental illness who come into contact with the criminal justice system. Little evidence exists on EMDR treatment in forensic mental health, with no prior qualitative research exploring lived experience perspectives.Objective: This qualitative study recruited adult forensic mental health patients with PTSD and psychotic disorders, predominantly schizophrenia, who had received EMDR as part of a clinical trial, either in prison or in hospital. We sought to understand their experiences of EMDR therapy while receiving forensic care.Method: Ten in-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews were undertaken and analysed using thematic analysis. We used an inductive, realist approach, reporting the experiences, meanings, and reality of the participants.Results: Five overarching themes were identified. First, severe trauma was ubiquitous and participants felt Seriously Messed Up by their traumatic experiences, with debilitating and enduring PTSD symptoms contributing to offending and psychosis ('giving the voices something to feed on'). Second, EMDR was regarded with Early Scepticism. Third, the therapy itself was initially emotionally taxing and Not Easy but participants generally felt safe and persevered. Fourth, they were often surprised and delighted by results (And it Worked!), describing significant symptom reduction and personal transformation. Lastly, EMDR Fits the Forensic Setting, bringing empowerment in a place perceived as disempowering. People reported changes that increased their hope in a violence-free future.Conclusions: The limited research on EMDR in forensic mental health is unfortunate given how common PTSD is in mentally unwell offenders and its potential to impede recovery and contribute to further offending. This first qualitative study found participants experienced positive transformative change, extending beyond symptom reduction. Themes support previously published quantitative outcomes showing EMDR to be safe and effective in this cohort. EMDR was well suited to a forensic setting and was seen as an empowering therapy.Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry identifier: ACTRN12618000683235.Study registration: The study was registered on the Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Network, registration number ACTRN12618000683235 (registered prospectively, 24 April 2018), https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id = 374682.