EMDR 2.0 Group Therapy for PTSD, Depression, and Anxiety in Earthquake Survivors (EQ-EMDR20)

Okan University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); Depression; Anxiety

Treatments: Behavioral: EMDR 2.0 Group Protocol

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06991244

KINIK EMDR 2.0 EQ

Details and patient eligibility

About

The objective of this clinical study was to examine whether a brief EMDR 2.0 group intervention could reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety in adult survivors of the 2023 Türkiye earthquake. The study was conducted face-to-face in a container city in Malatya, one of the regions most severely affected by the disaster. EMDR 2.0 is an enhanced version of standard EMDR therapy that uses working memory taxation techniques to accelerate emotional processing.

The primary research questions included whether EMDR 2.0 group therapy reduces PTSD symptoms in earthquake survivors, and whether it helps decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Participants attended three EMDR 2.0 group sessions in person over the course of one week and completed psychological assessments before the intervention, one week after, and one month after. Verbal disclosure of traumatic memories was not required during the sessions. Researchers used self-report questionnaires to evaluate changes in trauma-related distress, depression, and anxiety. This study contributes to the development of fast, accessible, and field-based psychological support strategies for communities affected by disasters.

Full description

Following the 2023 Türkiye earthquakes, widespread displacement, loss, and psychological trauma created an urgent need for effective and accessible mental health interventions. This clinical study was developed to address that need by offering a rapid, structured group therapy protocol-EMDR 2.0-to adult survivors residing in a temporary container city in Malatya, a region significantly impacted by the disaster.

EMDR 2.0 is a modified version of traditional Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy. It intensifies working memory taxation through structured, dual-attention tasks and allows for the safe and efficient processing of traumatic memories without requiring verbal disclosure.

The intervention was delivered in the same container units used as temporary housing by survivors, thereby transforming these living spaces into short-term therapeutic settings. Over the course of one week, three group sessions were administered in person. While participants were gathered in a group format, each individual engaged in processing their own traumatic imagery using the EMDR 2.0 protocol.

This approach provided containment and emotional safety within a physically and psychologically shared post-disaster context. Verbal expression of trauma was not required, which minimized the risk of retraumatization and enhanced the accessibility of the intervention for individuals hesitant to disclose.

The study was designed not only to evaluate the effectiveness of EMDR 2.0 in reducing symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety but also to assess the feasibility of implementing this method under real-world post-disaster conditions with limited resources. The findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge on scalable trauma interventions suitable for use in field-based, high-need humanitarian settings.

This work underscores the potential of brief, structured group interventions to facilitate emotional recovery when survivors are supported in environments that respect both their privacy and collective experience.

Enrollment: 58 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18 years or older
• Being a survivor of the 2023 Türkiye earthquakes
• Currently residing in a temporary container settlement in Malatya
• Ability to attend all three face-to-face intervention sessions
• Ability to provide informed consent
• Sufficient cognitive and emotional capacity to complete self-report questionnaires
• Basic literacy (reading and writing) in Turkish to understand and complete self-report scales
• Willingness to voluntarily participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

• Having a current diagnosis of a psychotic disorder (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder with psychotic features)
• History of severe head trauma or neurological condition affecting cognitive capacity
• Active suicidal ideation or risk requiring emergency psychiatric care
• Ongoing substance dependence
• Receiving concurrent trauma-focused psychotherapy during the study period
• Significant hearing, vision, or language impairment interfering with participation
• Inability to attend scheduled sessions or complete follow-up assessments

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

58 participants in 2 patient groups

EMDR 2.0 Group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in this group received a face-to-face EMDR 2.0 group intervention delivered over three sessions in a container city setting in Malatya, Türkiye, following the 2023 earthquake.

Treatment:

Behavioral: EMDR 2.0 Group Protocol

Control Group

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants in this group did not receive any psychological intervention during the study period but completed the same assessments as the intervention group.