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Self-administered EMDR therapy: potential solution for expanding the availability of psychotherapy for PTSD or unregulated recipe for disaster?

Lauren Z. Waterman; Maxwell Cooper · BJPsych Open · 2020 · Review

Original publication

Attributed extracts from the research record

“The results indicated significantly reduced symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, distress and disability between pre-treatment and 3 month follow-up.”

Recorded limitations

The quoted improvement describes an earlier feasibility study combining internet CBT and EMDR with clinician contact. It is not a result from a new randomized trial of unguided self-help.

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
Review
assessment
category
peer-reviewed
peer Reviewed
true
basis
Publication identity and reported study design checked. Outcome blinding is not established in the material reviewed; no single- or double-blind RCT classification is assigned.
sources

https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2020.92

reviewed At
2026-10-23
trust Factor
score
1
scope
Paper
status
assessed
randomized Controlled Trial
false
blinding
not-applicable
peer Reviewed
true
basis
Publication identity and reported study design checked. Outcome blinding is not established in the material reviewed; no single- or double-blind RCT classification is assigned.
sources

https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2020.92

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
Not recorded
Topics and recorded topic scores
  1. key
    vision:self-help
    title
    EMDR-derived self-help interventions
    collection
    vision
    trust Score
    1
Citation snapshot and identifiers
id
src-4981a8e87964
doi
10.1192/bjo.2020.92
pmid
Not recorded
citation Snapshot
count
11
source
Crossref
retrieved At
2026-10-23
citations By Collection
vision
8
Complete approved library record
id
src-4981a8e87964
publication Key
doi:10.1192/bjo.2020.92
aliases
None recorded
title
Self-administered EMDR therapy: potential solution for expanding the availability of psychotherapy for PTSD or unregulated recipe for disaster?
journal
BJPsych Open
neurotransmitters
None recorded
year
2020
authors
Lauren Z. Waterman; Maxwell Cooper
design
Review
kind
Journal article
identity Conflict
Not recorded
doi
10.1192/bjo.2020.92
pmid
Not recorded
urls

https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2020.92

collections

vision

categories

Clinical & self-report

targets
None recorded
priority
1
quotes

“The results indicated significantly reduced symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, distress and disability between pre-treatment and 3 month follow-up.”

summary
limitation
The quoted improvement describes an earlier feasibility study combining internet CBT and EMDR with clinician contact. It is not a result from a new randomized trial of unguided self-help.
citation Count
8
citation Snapshot
count
11
source
Crossref
retrieved At
2026-10-23
study Design Assessment
category
peer-reviewed
peer Reviewed
true
basis
Publication identity and reported study design checked. Outcome blinding is not established in the material reviewed; no single- or double-blind RCT classification is assigned.
sources

https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2020.92

reviewed At
2026-10-23
paper Trust Assessment
score
1
scope
Paper
status
assessed
randomized Controlled Trial
false
blinding
not-applicable
peer Reviewed
true
basis
Publication identity and reported study design checked. Outcome blinding is not established in the material reviewed; no single- or double-blind RCT classification is assigned.
sources

https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2020.92

review Scope
Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
assessed At
2026-10-27
citations By Collection
vision
8
topics
  1. key
    vision:self-help
    title
    EMDR-derived self-help interventions
    collection
    vision
    trust Score
    1
journal Key
bjpsychopen
journal Label
BJPsych Open
chapter Entries
  1. title
    Self-administered EMDR therapy: potential solution for expanding the availability of psychotherapy for PTSD or unregulated recipe for disaster?
    journal
    BJPsych Open
    year
    2020
    authors
    Lauren Z. Waterman; Maxwell Cooper
    design
    Review
    urls

    https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2020.92

    doi
    10.1192/bjo.2020.92
    pmid
    Not recorded
    targets
    None recorded
    categories

    Clinical & self-report

    citation Count
    8
    study Design Assessment
    category
    peer-reviewed
    peer Reviewed
    true
    basis
    Publication identity and reported study design checked. Outcome blinding is not established in the material reviewed; no single- or double-blind RCT classification is assigned.
    sources

    https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2020.92

    reviewed At
    2026-10-23
    record Id
    src-4981a8e87964
    quotes
      1. text
        “The results indicated significantly reduced symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, distress and disability between pre-treatment and 3 month follow-up.”
        emphasis
        false
    source Pages

    19

    limitation
    The quoted improvement describes an earlier feasibility study combining internet CBT and EMDR with clinician contact. It is not a result from a new randomized trial of unguided self-help.
    id
    vision-self-help-src-4981a8e87964
    paper Trust Assessment
    score
    1
    scope
    Paper
    status
    assessed
    randomized Controlled Trial
    false
    blinding
    not-applicable
    peer Reviewed
    true
    basis
    Publication identity and reported study design checked. Outcome blinding is not established in the material reviewed; no single- or double-blind RCT classification is assigned.
    sources

    https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2020.92

    review Scope
    Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
    assessed At
    2026-10-27
    publication Key
    doi:10.1192/bjo.2020.92
    collection
    vision
    chapter Number
    3
    topic Id
    self-help
    topic Title
    EMDR-derived self-help interventions
    trust Score
    1
jadad
status
unassessed
score
Not recorded
condition Evidence
  1. id
    ptsd
    evidence
    1. field
      title
      text
      Self-administered EMDR therapy: potential solution for expanding the availability of psychotherapy for PTSD or unregulated recipe for disaster?
      matched Text
      PTSD
conditions

ptsd

topic Trust Scores

1

full Text
status
open-license
retrieval Available
true
url
https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/PMC7576659/fullTextXML
pmcid
PMC7576659
rights
license
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
statement

© The Author(s) 2020 This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

sha256
a1d3c8cbf11f6a8cdd7c74f9ff9ec60cfd22d30f5efc2e1edc6920e2a64a66de
checked At
2026-10-24

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