Trauma-focused CBT Versus EMDR in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Trauma-focused CBT vs. EMDR in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy (TF-CBT) versus eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in the treatment of trauma survivors with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Patients will be randomly assigned to TF-CBT or EMDR. Follow-up assessments will be conducted at 3 and 12 months post-treatment. In addition to comparing the efficacy of the two protocols, an additional focus will lie on identifying predictors for treatment outcome.

Inclusion Criteria:

• A full diagnosis of PTSD according to the DSM-IV or subthreshold PTSD (criteria for intrusive re-experiencing are fulfilled and either three avoidance/numbing symptoms or two hyperarousal symptoms are present)
• PTSD is related to one or more single-event traumas and participants have a clear memory of this event/these events (sufficient for constructing scenes to be used in exposure)
• Age between 18 and 70
• Sufficient fluency in Dutch to complete treatment and research protocol
• If participants are using anti-depressants, they need to be on a stable dose for at least 2 weeks before the beginning of treatment and remain on this dose throughout the treatment.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Dementia or other severe cognitive impairment
• Psychosis
• Depression with suicidal ideation
• Bipolar disorder
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Anti-social personality disorder
• Substance dependence
• Current use of tranquilizers
• Exposure to prolonged and/or chronic trauma ("type-II-trauma")