Client/Clinician experiences of EMDR - Older Adults
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A Qualitative Exploration of Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) in Older Adults: Clinician and Client experiences
IRAS ID
332467
Contact name
Bethany Blackford-Jones
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 1 days
Research summary
Everyone experiences stressful life events, but when someone experiences an event or events that are extremely stressful or scary, they can experience trauma as a result. Trauma can be experienced as a result of a wide range of events and the sense we make of the experience. Trauma can cause long-lasting psychological harm. They may experience flashbacks and nightmares. These symptoms can significantly affect someone’s life and can be severe. Some people end up developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of trauma that has not been treated.
Older adults (OAs) may have experienced lots of difficult events over their life which may become too difficult to cope with and require treatment. One of the therapies used to treat trauma is Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR uses eye movements whilst holding the trauma memory in mind. This therapy aims to make the memory feel less scary.
To help us understand how EMDR is delivered to older adults, as well as help make it a more accessible therapy, we aim to understand older adults' experiences further. We also want to understand the experiences of therapists who deliver EMDR. We aim to interview 10 older adults (aged 60+) about the therapy they received, and 10 therapists who deliver EMDR to understand how they felt about delivering the therapy.
Clients will be eligible if: they are 60+, have had at least 3 sessions of EMDR using bilateral stimulation (stimuli presented in a left-right rhythmic pattern), and have been under a primary or secondary care mental health team in the last 12 months. Clinicians will be eligible if they have experience of EMDR with at least one older adult client. Participants will be recruited from 3 NHS trusts, and interviewed across clinical sites, homes, online and over the phone.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EE/0282
Date of REC Opinion
27 Sep 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion