Addiction-focused EMDR in Inpatients Who Use Non-opioid Drugs: a Multiple Baseline Study

Overview

Rationale: It is well established that Substance Use Disorders (SUD) have severe health consequences. Despite behavioral and pharmacological treatment options, relapse rates remain high. In particular, for non-opioid drugs, such as amphetamines, cocaine, base-coke and cannabis, established, evidence-based pharmacological options to reduce craving, to substitute substance use or to enforce abstinence are lacking. Therefore, there is a need for effective interventions for patients who use non-opioid drugs to reach and maintain long-term abstinence. A potential interesting intervention is addiction-focused Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (AF-EMDR) therapy. However, the limited research on AF-EMDR therapy and mixed findings thus far prohibit clinical use. Recently, on the basis of diverse findings thus far, an adjusted AF-EMDR therapy protocol has been developed.

Objective: to investigate areas of uncertainty about a possible future pilot RCT using AF-EMDR as an add-on intervention in inpatients who use non-opioid drugs and receive regular, inpatient addiction treatment, by determining: * Feasibility. * Potential clinical efficacy. Study population: adults with a primary non-opioid use disorder, who are admitted to an inpatient addiction care clinic. A total of nine eligible participants will be allocated (allocation ratio 1:1:1) at random, in a non-concurrent fashion to one of three baseline durations. Intervention: a total of four 90 min. sessions of AF-EMDR twice per week added to TAU. Main study parameters/endpoints: * Feasibility issues. * Changes in daily craving.

Conditions