The Value of EMDR in the Treatment of Tinnitus

The Value of Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing in the Treatment of Tinnitus

A prospective, randomized, controlled, clinical trial with blind evaluator that uses TRT and EMDR as a treatment for tinnitus.

Patients with subjective, chronic, non-pulsatile tinnitus will be randomized in two treatment groups: TRT and CBT versus TRT and EMDR. Evaluations will take place at baseline before therapy starts, at the end of the treatment, after 3 months (10 treatment sessions) and 3 months after therapy ends. The Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) will be used as the primary outcome measurement. Secondary outcome measurements will be the Visual Analogue Scale of Loudness (VAS), Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Hyperacusis Questionnaire (HQ), psychoacoustic measurements and Event-related potentials (ERP). The objective is to evaluate whether the bimodal therapy TRT and EMDR can provide faster and/or more relief from the annoyance experienced in chronic tinnitus patients' daily lives compared to the bimodal therapy TRT and CBT.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Tinnitus type: chronic, subjective, non - pulsatile tinnitus
• Duration of tinnitus = more than 3 months
• Minimum age of the patient is 18 years old - maximum age is 75 years old
• Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) score ≥ 25 - < 90
• Stable use of medication during therapy

Exclusion Criteria:

• HADS - score: anxiety and depression-subscores > 15
• HQ - score > 40
• Objective, pulsatile tinnitus
• Active middle ear pathology
• Neurological and psychiatry co-morbidity for which currently psychotherapy is ongoing
• Psychosis, schizophrenia, epilepsy
• Pregnancy