Evaluation of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing in the management of tinnitus. An observational study.

Abstract Objectives Tinnitus can induce disabling psychological suffering, requiring an integrative multimodal approach, combining neuromodulation and psychotherapeutic methods. We sought to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and acceptability of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in tinnitus. Materials and methods This was a single-center prospective non-comparative study. Inclusion criteria comprised: adult patient, with chronic tinnitus, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) score > 17, causing psychological distress motivating active treatment after ineffective “classic” treatment (combining advice, sound therapy and first-line drug treatment), and agreement to EMDR therapy. Therapeutic efficacy was defined by a decrease in THI or Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores. Treatment acceptability was defined by the rate of included patients who completed therapy. Results Thirty-eight patients were included. There was a significant reduction of 53.5% in THI score in 78.9% of patients (P  Conclusion EMDR appeared to be an effective alternative that was acceptable to the majority of patients, after failure of “classic” first-line treatment, improving quality of life in tinnitus patients and thus relieving disability.