Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41655996›Full record

Trial reportThe International journal of eating disorders2026

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy for Adults With Binge-Eating Disorder.

Amaani H Hatoum, Katie Richard, Amy L Burton, Elizabeth Rieger, Stephen Touyz, Maree J Abbott

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in The International journal of eating disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Trial
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Amaani H HatoumSchool of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1806-9087
Katie RichardSchool of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0003-5694-3462
Amy L BurtonSchool of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6641-6442
Elizabeth RiegerSchool of Medicine and Psychology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8865-5831
Stephen TouyzSchool of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1290-6243
Maree J AbbottSchool of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2188-4664

Funding

The University of Technology Sydney
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveBinge-eating disorder (BED) is a serious psychological condition, often associated with trauma, as well as many critical physical and psychological consequences. Despite the availability of several evidence-based treatments, full remission rates and long-term recovery rates remain suboptimal. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has demonstrated early promise in the treatment of eating disorders (EDs) but has yet to be examined in those with BED. To our knowledge, the current study was the first pilot randomized controlled trial to examine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of EMDR therapy in the treatment of core BED symptomatology.

methodThe clinical trial protocol was prospectively registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR Registration Number: ACTRN12614000894695, 05/08/2014). A two-arm (EMDR vs. waitlist control), single-blind, pilot RCT was utilized to examine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of this approach. Eligible participants (N = 38) were fluent English-speaking Australian adults (18+ years) who met the diagnostic criteria for BED. An existing EMDR treatment protocol for bulimia nervosa (BN) was adapted for BED (10 sessions). Outcomes were examined before and immediately after treatment completion.

resultsA treatment completion rate of 68.8% supported the feasibility of the treatment protocol. Intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses demonstrated largely positive effects in favor of the intervention, including significantly larger reductions in binge eating (symptoms, days, and frequency), meta-cognitive beliefs about eating, eating and shape concerns, anxiety, and sleep disturbance. However, there was no significant benefit of the intervention over control for dietary restraint, weight concerns, self-esteem, or sexual problems. There were mixed findings for depressive symptoms and dissociative symptoms between the ITT sample and treatment-completers. DISCUSSION: This pilot RCT supports the feasibility of applying this protocol to a larger-scale, well-powered effectiveness trial. It also addresses a critical gap in the literature by being one of the first to examine the potential efficacy of EMDR therapy for adults with BED, and thus contributes foundational preliminary data in support of an additional model of care for those with BED.

Indexed as

Binge-Eating DisorderEye Movement Desensitization ReprocessingAdultAustraliaFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsSingle-Blind MethodTreatment OutcomeYoung Adultbinge‐eating disorderEMDReye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapyfeasibilityrandomized controlled trialRCTtreatment

Identifiers

PMID41655996
PMCPMC13147140

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.