Early EMDR showed short-term benefit, but the studies were small

Interested to learn more about EMDR? Here's some recent research about it.

A 2024 review and meta-analysis in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, Efficacy of EMDR for early intervention after a traumatic event, asks a narrow question: does EMDR help when it's offered within three months of a traumatic event?

EMDR is well established for PTSD. The guidelines are less consistent about using it early, and that's the gap this review looked at. The authors found 11 randomized trials. EMDR showed a beneficial effect on post-traumatic symptoms right after treatment and at the 3-month follow-up. In the other analyses, they found no difference between EMDR and no intervention or another intervention.

The authors are clear about the limits. The studies were low quality, there were few studies for each outcome, and the sample sizes were small. They call it evidence for a short-term benefit. They also say EMDR appears to be a safe choice, and that more studies with safety data are needed.

My take: a good sign for the short term, and a reason for more and better studies.