Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) as Treatment for Combat-Related PTSD: A Meta-Analysis

Although the symptom presentation of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the general and military population is very similar, combat-related PTSD is typically thought to be more severe due to repeated and prolonged exposure to traumatic events. One of the treatments of choice, eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) has, however, not been validated for the military population. A meta-analysis was carried out on literature ranging back to 1987. The analysis thus far resulted in a failure to support the effectiveness of EMDR in treating PTSD in the military population. Several possible explanations are given, of which the limited number of well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) seems to be the most important one. Until more research is done, EMDR as treatment of choice for combat-related PTSD should be used only if other treatment protocols have proven unsuccessful.