Imagery rescripting and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing as treatment for adults with post-traumatic stress disorder from childhood trauma: randomised clinical trial.
Boterhoven de Haan KL, Lee CW, Fassbinder E, van Es SM, Menninga S, Meewisse ML, Rijkeboer M, Kousemaker M, Arntz A. · The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science · 2020 · Single-blind randomized controlled trial (outcome assessors blinded)
Original publication · Original publication
Recorded summary
A 155-person international trial found substantial PTSD improvement after either EMDR or imagery rescripting for childhood-related trauma, with a 7.7% dropout rate.
Recorded limitations
The active treatments did not differ significantly. This supports EMDR as a promising structured treatment in this population, without establishing superiority to imagery rescripting.
Evidence and provenance
Chapter Trust Factor uses a minimum of three distinct qualifying studies. Publication records retain their own evidence and assessment.
Study design and assessment
- design
- Single-blind randomized controlled trial (outcome assessors blinded)
- assessment
- category
- peer-reviewed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Reported design checked against the primary publication abstract. Blinding terminology reflects the source report, not an independent risk-of-bias rating.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32892758/ · https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2020.158
- assessed At
- 2026-10-26
- registered Masking Basis
- false
- trust Factor
- score
- 2
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- true
- blinding
- single
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Reported design checked against the primary publication abstract. Blinding terminology reflects the source report, not an independent risk-of-bias rating.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32892758/ · https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2020.158
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- jadad
- status
- unassessed
- score
- Not recorded
- evidence
- intervention
- Therapist-delivered EMDR
- comparator
- Imagery rescripting
- evidence Type
- Clinical or experimental outcomes
- source URLs
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32892758/ · https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2020.158
- checked At
- 2026-10-26
- review Scope
- Primary publication abstract and bibliographic identity checked; comprehensive full-text risk-of-bias and Jadad assessment pending.
- discovery Sources
https://daytab.com/study/jbjh2786 · https://europepmc.org/article/MED/32892758
- selection Policy
- Success-focused discovery selection, with material limitations retained; not an exhaustive systematic review.
Topics and recorded topic scores
- key
- vision:i
- title
- EMDR for PTSD and related mental-health outcomes
- collection
- vision
- trust Score
- 2
Citation snapshot and identifiers
- id
- pmid-32892758
- doi
- 10.1192/bjp.2020.158
- pmid
- 32892758
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 70
- source
- Europe PMC
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-26
- url
- https://europepmc.org/article/MED/32892758
- citations By Collection
- vision
- 70
Complete approved library record
- id
- pmid-32892758
- publication Key
- doi:10.1192/bjp.2020.158
- aliases
- None recorded
- title
- Imagery rescripting and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing as treatment for adults with post-traumatic stress disorder from childhood trauma: randomised clinical trial.
- journal
- The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science
- neurotransmitters
- None recorded
- year
- 2020
- authors
- Boterhoven de Haan KL, Lee CW, Fassbinder E, van Es SM, Menninga S, Meewisse ML, Rijkeboer M, Kousemaker M, Arntz A.
- design
- Single-blind randomized controlled trial (outcome assessors blinded)
- identity Conflict
- Not recorded
- doi
- 10.1192/bjp.2020.158
- pmid
- 32892758
- urls
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32892758/ · https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2020.158
- collections
vision
- categories
Clinical & self-report
- targets
- None recorded
- priority
- 1
- quotes
- None recorded
- summary
- A 155-person international trial found substantial PTSD improvement after either EMDR or imagery rescripting for childhood-related trauma, with a 7.7% dropout rate.
- limitation
- The active treatments did not differ significantly. This supports EMDR as a promising structured treatment in this population, without establishing superiority to imagery rescripting.
- citation Count
- 70
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 70
- source
- Europe PMC
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-26
- url
- https://europepmc.org/article/MED/32892758
- study Design Assessment
- category
- peer-reviewed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Reported design checked against the primary publication abstract. Blinding terminology reflects the source report, not an independent risk-of-bias rating.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32892758/ · https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2020.158
- assessed At
- 2026-10-26
- registered Masking Basis
- false
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 2
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- true
- blinding
- single
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Reported design checked against the primary publication abstract. Blinding terminology reflects the source report, not an independent risk-of-bias rating.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32892758/ · https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2020.158
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- citations By Collection
- vision
- 70
- topics
- key
- vision:i
- title
- EMDR for PTSD and related mental-health outcomes
- collection
- vision
- trust Score
- 2
- journal Key
- britishjournalofpsychiatry
- journal Label
- The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science
- chapter Entries
- title
- Imagery rescripting and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing as treatment for adults with post-traumatic stress disorder from childhood trauma: randomised clinical trial.
- journal
- The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science
- year
- 2020
- authors
- Boterhoven de Haan KL, Lee CW, Fassbinder E, van Es SM, Menninga S, Meewisse ML, Rijkeboer M, Kousemaker M, Arntz A.
- design
- Single-blind randomized controlled trial (outcome assessors blinded)
- urls
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32892758/ · https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2020.158
- doi
- 10.1192/bjp.2020.158
- pmid
- 32892758
- targets
- None recorded
- categories
Clinical & self-report
- citation Count
- 70
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 70
- source
- Europe PMC
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-26
- url
- https://europepmc.org/article/MED/32892758
- study Design Assessment
- category
- peer-reviewed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Reported design checked against the primary publication abstract. Blinding terminology reflects the source report, not an independent risk-of-bias rating.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32892758/ · https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2020.158
- assessed At
- 2026-10-26
- registered Masking Basis
- false
- evidence
- intervention
- Therapist-delivered EMDR
- comparator
- Imagery rescripting
- evidence Type
- Clinical or experimental outcomes
- source URLs
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32892758/ · https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2020.158
- checked At
- 2026-10-26
- review Scope
- Primary publication abstract and bibliographic identity checked; comprehensive full-text risk-of-bias and Jadad assessment pending.
- discovery Sources
https://daytab.com/study/jbjh2786 · https://europepmc.org/article/MED/32892758
- selection Policy
- Success-focused discovery selection, with material limitations retained; not an exhaustive systematic review.
- id
- vision-i-pmid-32892758
- record Id
- pmid-32892758
- quotes
- None recorded
- source Pages
- None recorded
- summary
- A 155-person international trial found substantial PTSD improvement after either EMDR or imagery rescripting for childhood-related trauma, with a 7.7% dropout rate.
- limitation
- The active treatments did not differ significantly. This supports EMDR as a promising structured treatment in this population, without establishing superiority to imagery rescripting.
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 2
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- true
- blinding
- single
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Reported design checked against the primary publication abstract. Blinding terminology reflects the source report, not an independent risk-of-bias rating.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32892758/ · https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2020.158
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- publication Key
- doi:10.1192/bjp.2020.158
- collection
- vision
- chapter Number
- 1
- topic Id
- i
- topic Title
- EMDR for PTSD and related mental-health outcomes
- trust Score
- 2
- evidence
- intervention
- Therapist-delivered EMDR
- comparator
- Imagery rescripting
- evidence Type
- Clinical or experimental outcomes
- source URLs
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32892758/ · https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2020.158
- checked At
- 2026-10-26
- review Scope
- Primary publication abstract and bibliographic identity checked; comprehensive full-text risk-of-bias and Jadad assessment pending.
- discovery Sources
https://daytab.com/study/jbjh2786 · https://europepmc.org/article/MED/32892758
- selection Policy
- Success-focused discovery selection, with material limitations retained; not an exhaustive systematic review.
- jadad
- status
- unassessed
- score
- Not recorded
- condition Evidence
- id
- ptsd
- evidence
- field
- curated primary-source summary
- text
- A 155-person international trial found substantial PTSD improvement after either EMDR or imagery rescripting for childhood-related trauma, with a 7.7% dropout rate.
- matched Text
- ptsd
- conditions
ptsd
- topic Trust Scores
2
- full Text
- status
- not-indexed
- retrieval Available
- false