Eight inpatients with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder were treated with an average of four sessions of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), a new treatment method. Concordant with other case reports and studies, seven of the patients reported a significant relief of 17 processed painful memories; this was shown in the significant decrease of SUDs (subjective units of discomfort, a 0-10 scale) from an average of 6.5 to 0.9 after treatment with EMDR (P < 0.001). This was paralleled by a decrease in other symptoms and an improvement in negative self-related thinking. One patient showed no improvement. In one third of the memories processed, a strong increase in SUDs (flashback) occurred and was reprocessed. The positive therapeutic effects were stable 3 and 6 months after treatment. In two cases, reports after a year showed persistent positive results. No negative results of the treatment were reported. It is suggested that EMDR could be a useful instrument in the treatment of patients with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder. The procedure fitted well in a psychodynamically oriented inpatient setting. This combination seemed to help specifically in the treatment of trauma patients with impaired ego strength.
