Post-Traumatic Growth Following Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy Versus SSRIs in Patients With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-Traumatic Growth Following Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy Versus SSRIs in Patients With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT06957210

Enrollment

130

Registered

2025-05-04

Start date

2025-05-06

Completion date

2025-12-31

Last updated

2026-05-07

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Keywords

PTSD, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Post-traumatic Growth, EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

Brief summary

This randomized controlled trial investigates the comparative effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in fostering post-traumatic growth among patients diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants will be randomized to receive either EMDR therapy or standard SSRI pharmacotherapy. The primary objective is to evaluate the extent of psychological growth and recovery achieved through each intervention, aiming to guide future therapeutic strategies for PTSD.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALEMDR

Participants will receive structured EMDR therapy sessions conducted by trained therapists following standard EMDR protocols. Sessions will occur weekly over a 6 week period.

DRUGSSRIs

Participants will receive pharmacotherapy with an SSRI prescribed according to standard clinical guidelines for PTSD, monitored by a psychiatrist over a 6-week period.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 60 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Clinical diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) based on DSM-5 criteria Willingness to participate and provide informed consent Ability to comply with study procedures

Exclusion criteria

Current diagnosis of psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, or severe major depressive episode with psychotic features Active substance use disorder within the past 6 months Severe cognitive impairment or inability to complete study assessments

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG) measured by Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI)	6 weeks	Change in PTGI total score from baseline to 6 weeks.

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
PTSD symptom severity measured by PTSD Checklist	6 weeks	Change in PTSD Checklist total score from baseline to 6 weeks.

Countries

Pakistan

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 8, 2026