Treatment of Vietnam war veterans with PTSD: A comparison of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, biofeedback, and relaxation training

Abstract Analyses of scaled self‐report data from Vietnam War veterans receiving inpatient treatment for Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder drawn during a program evaluation study suggested inpatient treatment as provided by the program resulted in significant improvement in the areas of Anxiety, Anger, Depression, Isolation, Intrusive Thoughts (of combat experiences), Flashbacks, Nightmares (of combat experiences), and Relationship Problems. Comparing the relative effects of the incremental addition of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Relaxation Training, and Biofeedback found that EMDR was for most problems the most effective extra treatment, greatly increasing the positive impact of the treatment program.