AUTHOR=Zat Çiftçi Zeynep , Delibaş Dursun Hakan , Kaya Taciser , Külcü Duygu Geler , Sarı Aylin , Nazlıkul Hüseyin , Coşkun Topsakal İlkem , Aydın Yunus Emre , Kavakçı Önder , Savran Canan , Konuk Emre 

TITLE=A randomized controlled trial of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy in the treatment of fibromyalgia

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1286118

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1286118

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=Background: In addition to pharmacological treatments, psychotherapeutic approaches are recommended for the treatment of fibromyalgia. There is a suggestion that Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy may be effective. This study aims to investigate the impact of EMDR therapy on fibromyalgia symptoms, depression, sleep quality, and traumatic stress in fibromyalgia patients through a Randomized Controlled Study (RCT).: The sample for this study comprises 79 individuals diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: the 'Treatment as Usual' (TAU) group and the TAU+EMDR group. Prior to the study and at six different time points (before starting the study, at the end of the 5th, 10th, and 15th sessions, 1 month later, and 3 months later), participants completed assessments, including the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Fibromyalgia ACR 2010 Diagnostic Criteria (Widespread Pain Index (WPI) and Symptom Severity Scale (SSS)), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Trauma Symptom Checklist-40 (TSC-40).Results: There were no differences in sociodemographic variables between the study and experimental groups. Analysis of variance revealed a statistically significant group effect on VAS (p=0.019), WPI (p=0.018), BDI (p=0.019), and TSC-40 (p=0.21). After applying the Bonferroni correction, EMDR was found to be effective on VAS, WPI, SSS, BDI, PSQI, and TSC-40 (p < 0.05).The results of the current study suggest that EMDR therapy is a significant and viable alternative in the treatment of fibromyalgia. We believe these findings offer robust evidence supporting the efficacy of EMDR therapy in treating fibromyalgia, particularly as demonstrated in the context of a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). The application of EMDR therapy in the treatment of fibromyalgia patients is likely to be beneficial.