The relative efficacy and treatment distress of EMDR and a cognitive-behavior trauma treatment protocol in the amelioration of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Full Abstract

The growing body of research into treatment efficacy with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has, by-and-large, been limited to evaluating treatment components or comparing a specific treatment against wait-list controls. This has led to two forms of treatment, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT), vying for supremacy without a controlled study actually comparing them. The present research compared EMDR and a CBT variant (Trauma Treatment Protocol; TTP) in the treatment of PTSD, via a controlled clinical study using therapists trained in both procedures. It was found that TTP was both statistically and clinically more effective in reducing pathology related to PTSD and that this superiority was maintained and, in fact, became more evident by 3-month follow-up. These results are discussed in terms of past research. Directions for future research are suggested.

Author information

Author/s: Devilly, G J (GJ); Spence, S H (SH);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia. dev(-atsign-)psy.uq.edu.au

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Clinical Trial; Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal: Journal of anxiety disorders (J Anxiety Disord), published in UNITED STATES. (Language: eng)

Reference: -1999 Jan-Apr; vol 13 (issue 1-2) : pp 131-57

Dates: Created 1999/06/30; Completed 1999/06/30; Revised 2009/08/12;

PMID: 10225505, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 8/21/2009, IMS Date: )

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