Oswald J. KLINGLER

Abstract A total of 19 randomized controlled trials were included in a comprehensive comparative study on the effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Thirteen of these trials treated patients with full PTSD without mandatory additional diagnoses. The comparisons, conducted across numerous dependent variables and in various subgroups, revealed no systematic differences in effectiveness at the required significance level of p < 0.01. Only for depression scores in the intention-to-treat analysis did data from three studies show a superiority for EMDR, while in the observed-case analysis during follow-up, the three studies using CBT with the classic prolonged exposure approach showed advantages for CBT. However, this does not imply superiority or preference for either method. Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and eye movement desensitiz...

  Post-traumatic stress disorder and other trauma-related disorders: a comparison of treatment methods, 2026 update Summary The advantages of so-called trauma-focused psychotherapeutic treatment methods for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related disorders are regularly demonstrated. This also applies to comparisons of treatment methods considered fully-fledged, which are conducted in good faith (bona fide) regarding their effectiveness. While these comparisons generally show only minor advantages for trauma-focused methods, these advantages become much clearer when the analysis is limited to a) the methodologically strongest comparative studies, b) individual treatment settings, and c) observed cases. In these observed cases, 37.2% (post) and 33.1% (follow-up) of patients treated with present-moment-focused methods still had PTSD diagnoses after treatment, compared to only 24.3% (post) and 20.3% (follow-up) of those treated with trauma-focused m...