An eye for complexity. EMDR versus stabilisation in traumatised refugees

While the plight of those seeking refuge in Western countries continues to catch the public eye, the plight of those who have arrived often remains hidden. Many refugees resettled in Western countries struggle to attain a level of psychological well-being. Heavenly burdened by pre- and post-migration stressors, refugees are at considerable risk of developing PTSD. The accumulation of stressors is also what makes them, in the eyes of many clinicians, complex and difficult to treat.

Although trauma-focused treatment is recommended as first-line treatment for adults who suffer from PTSD, in refuees this recommendation is often contended. With traumatised refugees, direct trauma-focused treatment is often feared to be ineffective and even harmful. Instead, clinicians are advised to focus on psychosocial stabilisation. The contradictions between the two approaches have been subject of recent debate.

An ey for comlexety contributes to a clarification of this debate by presenting the outcomes of several studies with refugees. The main corpus of the book consists of a randomised controlled trial comparing the efficacy and safety of Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) with that of stabilisation. In addition, the book addresses current evidence of EMDR with refugees, potential prdictors for treatment response in refugees, and the prevalence of comple PTSD in efugees.

ISBN 9789089539175

Signatuur

s8.6 HEI