The working mechanisms of imagery rescripting and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Findings from a randomised controlled trial.

EMDR Imagery rescripting Posttraumatic stress disorder Treatment mechanisms

Journal

Behaviour research and therapy
ISSN: 1873-622X
Titre abrégé: Behav Res Ther
Pays: England
ID NLM: 0372477

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
07 Feb 2024
Historique:
received: 08 11 2022
revised: 10 10 2023
accepted: 06 02 2024
medline: 16 2 2024
pubmed: 16 2 2024
entrez: 15 2 2024
Statut: aheadofprint

Résumé

We studied the mechanisms of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and imagery rescripting (ImRs). We hypothesized that EMDR works via changes in memory vividness, that ImRs works via changes in encapsulated beliefs (EB), and that both treatments work via changes in memory distress. Patients (N = 155) with childhood-related posttraumatic stress disorder (Ch-PTSD) received 12 sessions of EMDR or ImRs. The vividness, distress, and EB related to the index trauma were measured with the Imagery Interview. PTSD severity was assessed with the Impact of Events Scale-Revised and the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5. We conducted mixed regressions and Granger causality analyses. EMDR led to initially stronger changes in all predictors, but only for distress this was retained until the last assessment. No evidence for vividness as a predictive variable was found. However, changes in distress and EB predicted changes in PTSD severity during ImRs. These findings partially support the hypothesized mechanisms of ImRs, while no support was found for the hypothesized mechanisms of EMDR. Differences in the timing of addressing the index trauma during treatment and the timing of assessments could have influenced the findings. This study provides insight into the relative effectiveness and working mechanisms of these treatments.

Identifiants

pubmed: 38359658
pii: S0005-7967(24)00019-6
doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2024.104492
pii:
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Sous-ensembles de citation

IM

Pagination

104492

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Declaration of competing interest A. Arntz publishes scientific articles and book chapters about ImRs, and occasionally gives workshops. The financial remuneration received go to the university to support research. C. W. Lee reports grants and receives personal fees from Psychology Training. E. Fassbinder gives workshops and lectures on ImRs and PTSD treatment and received personal fees and grants. There are no other conflicts of interest.

Auteurs

Sophie A Rameckers (SA)

Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Electronic address: S.A.Rameckers@uva.nl.

Arnold A P van Emmerik (AAP)

Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Katrina Boterhoven de Haan (K)

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Australia.

Margriet Kousemaker (M)

ARQ Centrum'45, the Netherlands.

Eva Fassbinder (E)

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Kiel University, Germany.

Christopher W Lee (CW)

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Australia.

Mariel Meewisse (M)

Abate, the Netherlands.

Simone Menninga (S)

FACT Velsen, Parnassiagroep, Ijmuiden, the Netherlands.

Marleen Rijkeboer (M)

Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, the Netherlands.

Anja Schaich (A)

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Kiel University, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Lübeck University, Germany.

Arnoud Arntz (A)

Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Classifications MeSH