As part of a bigger study into the quality of victims support, subsidized by the Achmea Foundation Victim and Society, this exploratory study focussed on clients exhibiting chronic whiplash symptoms. Four case studies are presented of persons involved in traffic accidents, which on average took place 22 months ago. Subjects were exposed to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) twice, for approximately one and a half hour. Before and after treatment the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) and the Impact of Events Scale (IES) were administered. Reported symptoms, inter alia Intrusion and Avoidance (IES), and Somatisation, Anxiety, Depression, Sleeping Problems, Distrust and Interpersonal Sensitivity (SCL-90), were clearly reduced. In view of the lengthy interval between the accident and treatment our data underscore the potential Utility of EMDR in alleviating trauma symptoms. The article is concluded with a plea for a more systematical study of the impact and underlying mechanisms Of EMDR in the case of chronic whiplash, preferably introducing control-groups and pain-focussed variables. (A)
Samenvatting