NCT02973919

EMDR in Spider Phobia: Work Mechanisms and Treatment Outcome

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 53 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Regensburg · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years – 55 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The goal of this study is to increase the efficiency of exposure in virtual reality (VR). Based on the EMDR research the investigators would like to show that the implementation of eye movements during the VR exposure results in a faster physiological relaxation response among probands with spider phobia, which has a positive effect on the subjective and behavioral efficacy of the VR exposure.

Detailed description

The VR paradigm consists of one room with a spider in it. The proband is supposed to look at it for a few minutes. This exposure is repeated several times. In the experimental group a ball appears during the exposure, that moves horizontally across the room. The probands are supposed to follow this movement with their eyes. EDA, EKG and respiration are being recorded. Furthermore the subjective and behavioral spider phobia is measured before, during and after the exposure to determine occurring changes.

Conditions

• Spider Phobia

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy	In 1989, Shapiro discovered that while talking about negative life events or thoughts, rhythmic eye movements on a horizontal axis can alleviate the associated vividness and burden (Shapiro, 1989). She established the psychodynamic-behavioral Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy, which includes the induction of rhythmic eye movements as a central feature. EMDR is regarded as an efficient treatment tool. Several times it has also been successfully applied in the field of specific phobias (de Jongh, ten Broeke, \& Renssen, 1999; de Jongh, Holmshaw, Carswell, \& van Wijk, 2011; Lapsekili \& Yelboga, 2014; Muris, Merckelbach, van Haaften, \& Mayer, 1997) and there is a standard protocol for using EMDR on specific fears and phobias (de Jongh, 2015).
BEHAVIORAL	Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy	Exposure to fear-evoking stimuli is conducted more often in virtual environments using simulators or similar computer-technologies (Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy, VRET). One great advantage of using VR-technologies is that it is possible to create an environment which is highly controllable by its creators. Feared stimuli or scenarios can be varied on individual purposes and presented several times. This facili- tates the practice of exposure-based treatments especially for situations or places diffi- cult to access or requiring a considerable amount of time and/or money (e.g. being in war zones or a passenger on a flight), where in vivo exposures have often not been con- ducted or only in a limited manner (Mühlberger \& Pauli, 2011).

Timeline

• Start date: 2015-07-01
• Primary completion: 2015-12-01
• Completion: 2016-09-01
• First posted: 2016-11-28
• Last updated: 2016-11-28