Actively Recruiting
Efficacy and Feasibility of Autonomous Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (A-EMDR) for Patients With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Substance Use Disorders
Led by Centre for Addiction and Mental Health · Updated on 2026-05-22
24
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
N/A
Total Duration
On this page
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Researchers are evaluating the effectiveness and practicality of a new therapy called Autonomous Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (A-EMDR) for adults who have both Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Substance Use Disorders (SUD). This pilot trial aims to confirm whether A-EMDR works well in this group and to gather information that will help design future full-scale studies. The trial is open-label and uses a wait-list control design to compare outcomes. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the A-EMDR treatment group or a usual care group. Those in the A-EMDR group will use an app to complete three therapy sessions per week for four weeks, alongside clinical sessions addressing therapeutic support, symptom review, and counseling. The usual care group will continue with their standard mental health treatments and attend two clinical sessions during the study period while being waitlisted for A-EMDR. During the study, researchers will assess changes in PTSD symptoms and substance use over the four-week treatment, with follow-up at week eight for the A-EMDR group. Clinical sessions will monitor participant progress, adherence, and engagement. The study will track outcomes primarily at four weeks and also evaluate the feasibility of using A-EMDR in this patient group. The total participation includes treatment and follow-up periods to ensure comprehensive data collection.
CONDITIONS
Brief Title
Efficacy of an EMDR App for PTSD and SUD
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Aged 18 years or older
- Fluent in English
- Diagnosed with PTSD by the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5 past month version score >32)
- Diagnosed with past-year substance use disorder other than caffeine by structured clinical interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5)
- Agrees not to participate in other treatments during the study duration (e.g., mindfulness, yoga, biofeedback, self-hypnosis, or tai chi) except individuals who have been already on continuous therapies for at least three months
You will not qualify if you...
- Diagnosis of a severe or unstable mental illness that precludes safe participation in the study by a healthcare practitioner such as acute psychosis or mania
- Current suicidality risk as indicated during the conduct of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) with concurrence after a study physician's evaluation if the response to C-SSRS questions 1 or 2 is "yes"
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility
Your Study Journey
Duration - 2 to 4 weeks
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial.
1 visit (in-person)
Duration - 4 weeks
Participants in the treatment group complete 3 A-EMDR therapy sessions per week for 4 consecutive weeks through an app on their device. During this period, all participants attend clinical sessions focusing on therapeutic alliance, assessing current state, reviewing recent alcohol and drug use, PTSD symptoms, brief counseling, and encouragement to adhere to the study protocol. Participants in the control group continue their usual mental health care and attend two clinical sessions.
3 sessions per week (A-EMDR group) and up to 2 clinical sessions (all participants)
Duration - 4 weeks after treatment
Participants in the A-EMDR group are followed up at week 8 to assess long-term outcomes after treatment completion.
1 follow-up visit (in-person or remote)
Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
100 Stokes St
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Actively Recruiting
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
SINGLE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
TREATMENT
Number of Arms
2
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