RecruitingNAINTERVENTIONAL

EMDR Pre-treatment Yoga for Complex Trauma

This research is investigating whether adding yoga sessions before a therapy called EMDR can help women who have experienced complex trauma linked to childhood abuse. Complex trauma can affect how people cope with daily life. Participants will be divided into two groups: one will take part in ten yoga sessions designed for trauma, followed by EMDR. The other group will receive EMDR therapy on its own. The study aims to find out if combining yoga, which can help with self-awareness and emotional control, with EMDR leads to better results than EMDR alone. The specific yoga used is a 'trauma-sensitive' style.

At a glance

Status

Recruiting

Phase

Sponsor

Dominique JANUEL

Enrolment target

Start

20 Sep 2016

Estimated completion

06 Sep 2026

Trauma, Psychological

What is this study about?

This study is looking into new ways to help women who have experienced complex trauma, particularly if it's connected to childhood sexual abuse. Complex trauma can make life very difficult, affecting feelings, attention, and how people see themselves.

The researchers want to see if combining a special type of yoga with a known therapy called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) can be more helpful than EMDR alone. Yoga is thought to help people calm down, become more aware of their bodies, and understand their emotions better. The study suggests that doing yoga before EMDR might prepare someone to get more out of the therapy.

Previous studies have shown that yoga can help reduce symptoms of trauma on its own. However, this study is unique because it's testing whether yoga can make other established trauma treatments, like EMDR, even more effective. They believe that doing yoga first could create a stronger combined approach to healing from complex trauma.

Key takeaways

New study exploring yoga’s role before trauma therapy.
Focuses on complex trauma from childhood sexual abuse.
Compares yoga + EMDR to EMDR alone.
Aims to improve calm, self-awareness, and emotional control.
Yoga used is a specific 'trauma-sensitive' style for safety.
Only women aged 18-70 are eligible to participate.

Who may be eligible?

This study is specifically for women aged between 18 and 70 years old. To join, you would need to have been diagnosed with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) that is linked to childhood sexual abuse, and your symptoms would need to meet a certain level of severity. You would also need to be able to understand and sign a consent form, showing you agree to take part.

There are some reasons why someone might not be able to join. These include having certain brain or nerve conditions, being pregnant, or having other serious, ongoing health problems that affect your body or make it hard to move around easily. You also wouldn't be able to participate if you are currently receiving psychiatric care under specific legal circumstances, are already in another medical research study, or if you don't speak French.

It's important that you are able to give your full consent to join the study, so if there's a reason you can't make decisions for yourself, you wouldn't be able to take part.

Could this study suit you?

Answer these quick questions to see if you may be eligible. This is a guide only — the research team makes the final call.

Are you a woman aged between 18 and 70?
Have you been diagnosed with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder linked to childhood sexual abuse?
Do you have good overall health, without serious ongoing physical or brain conditions?
Are you able to speak and understand French?
Are you able to provide your own consent to take part in research?

Answer every question to see your result.

What does participation involve?

If you join this study, you would be randomly placed into one of two groups. One group will have 10 sessions of trauma-sensitive yoga, followed by EMDR therapy. The other group will receive EMDR therapy only. The researchers will be comparing the results between these two groups.

Potential risks and benefits

Participating in this study might offer the benefit of potentially reducing your complex trauma symptoms through yoga and EMDR therapy, or EMDR alone. The yoga sessions are designed to be trauma-sensitive, aiming to provide a safe and supportive environment. While therapy can sometimes bring up difficult emotions, the goal is to help you process them in a healthy way. You are free to withdraw from the study at any time, for any reason, without it affecting your care.

Locations (2)

Ch Ville Evrard
Verified postcode
Neuilly-sur-Marne, France· Recruiting
Center for Psychotherapy and Psychotraumatology
Verified postcode
Saint-Denis, France· Recruiting

Common questions

What is EMDR therapy?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It's a type of therapy often used to help people recover from upsetting experiences, like trauma.

What does 'trauma-sensitive yoga' mean?

This is a special way of teaching yoga that focuses on creating a safe and calm space, helping people connect with their bodies in a gentle way, especially for those who have experienced trauma.

Will I have to do yoga if I join?

If you join, you will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group does yoga before EMDR, and the other does EMDR only. So, you might do yoga, or you might not.

What kind of trauma is the study focusing on?

This study is looking specifically at complex trauma that is linked to childhood sexual abuse.

Why are only women included in this study?

The study's eligibility criteria state that only women are included, likely based on previous research that focused on women who experienced childhood violence.

How to find out more

Rusheenthira THAVASEELAN, MSC

r.thavaseelan@epsve.fr 0143093232 Official trial record

Always speak to your GP or specialist before deciding to take part in a study.