Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing to Facilitate Posttraumatic Growth of Ferry Disaster Survivors

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) on post-traumatic growth (PTG). This study was conducted using a sample of five survivors of a major shipping disaster that occurred in the Yellow Sea, South Korea, in April 2014. A total of eight EMDR sessions were administered by a single clinician at two-week intervals over a period of five months, starting six weeks after the accident. Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Stress-Related Growth Scale (SRGS), Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) were measured before treatment, after sessions 1, 3, 5, and 7, and after treatment completion. After EMDR therapy, significant increases were observed in PTG-associated PTGI and SRGS scores, and in the resilience-associated CD-RISC score. However, the observed decrease in the PTSD-associated CAPS score was not significant. The PTGI (ES=2.40) and SRGS (ES=2.70) effect sizes were larger than those of CAPS (ES=0.71) and CD-RISC (ES=0.37). EMDR therapy helped to facilitate each subject’s PTG, although the EMDR was not modified to improve PTG and a standard protocol was used. EMDR can be separately effective for improving PTG regardless of PTSD. EMDR is a reliable method of facilitating PTG.