EMDR Treatment of Conditioned Nausea and Vomiting in Cancer Survivors (EMESIS)

University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG)

Status

Enrolling

Conditions

Cancer Survivors

Treatments

Other: EMDR therapy

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT06769165

19946

Details and patient eligibility

About

To explore the effectiveness of EMDR therapy treatment in reducing symptoms of chemotherapy-induced conditioned nausea and vomiting in (former) patients with cancer.

Full description

Conditioned nausea and vomiting is a common side effect of anti-cancer treatment, and while strategies like antiemetics exist, their effectiveness is limited. Conditioned nausea and vomiting can possibly be addressed through Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. EMDR therapy is a therapeutic intervention, proven to be effective in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and promising in treating a range of other conditions. At the UMCG, EMDR therapy is used on a small scale to treat conditioned nausea with positive results, although more rigorous research is needed to fully establish its efficacy. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of EMDR therapy treatment in reducing symptoms of chemotherapy-induced conditioned nausea and vomiting in (former) patients with cancer.

Enrollment

20 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

16+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Previously pathologically confirmed diagnosis of cancer
Previously treated with systemic cancer therapy
Persistent complaints (more than 2 months) of conditioned nausea and/or vomiting
Able to understand spoken and written Dutch
18 years or older

Exclusion criteria

Ongoing psychiatric treatment
EMDR therapy contraindications (dissociative disorders, personality disorders or severe somatic disorders (e.g. cardiac arrhythmias))
Complex type 2 trauma
Known with recent conditions / non-anti-cancer medication which can elicit nausea (e.g. pregnancy or alcohol abuses)