Effect of EMDR Combined with Multimodal Treatment on Pain and Depressive Symptoms in Adults with Fibromyalgia: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.13129/2282-1619/mjcp-5140Keywords:
Anxiety, Chronic pain, EMDR, Fibromyalgia, Multimodal treatment, Depression, Quality of lifeAbstract
Background: Fibromyalgia is associated with chronic pain, affective burden, and limited response to pharmacological treatment alone; emerging evidence suggests psychological interventions, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, may be beneficial. Chronic pain associated with fibromyalgia represents a complex clinical challenge due to its multifaceted symptomatology and its substantial impact on quality of life. This study evaluated the effect of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy combined with a multimodal treatment, compared to an active control group, on pain perception, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and quality of life in adults aged 18 to 65 years diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
Methods: An experimental pretest–posttest design with an active control group was implemented, comprising 33 randomized participants, with a final analytic sample of 28 participants.
Results: The findings revealed significant reductions in pain perception and depressive symptoms in the experimental group (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing + multimodal treatment), whereas anxiety and quality of life showed no clinically meaningful changes. In contrast, the active control group maintained stable values, with only a slight improvement observed in the psychological component of quality of life.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that integrating Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing into multimodal management may constitute a promising adjunctive strategy for fibromyalgia treatment, particularly for reducing pain intensity and depressive symptomatology. However, larger samples and longer follow-up periods are necessary to confirm its efficacy.
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