Research on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in older adults with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has examined whether treatment can reduce trauma-related symptoms and improve other aspects of well-being later in life.
Studies have explored changes in PTSD severity, memory and attention, physical frailty, quality of life, and personality functioning. Researchers have also compared treatment outcomes between older and younger adults.
The findings are encouraging: older adults in several studies experienced improvements after EMDR or treatment programs that included EMDR. However, much of the research specifically focused on older adults comes from relatively small studies without comparison groups.
Understanding what researchers have measured, and how the studies were conducted, helps explain what the findings can tell us about EMDR later in life.
Why Have Researchers Studied EMDR in Older Adults?
PTSD can affect people at any age. Some older adults have experienced trauma relatively recently, while others continue to experience distress connected to events that happened many years earlier.
Life changes such as retirement, bereavement, or changes in health may also influence how someone experiences or remembers earlier events. However, these experiences vary considerably, and aging does not automatically make trauma symptoms worse.
EMDR is an established treatment for PTSD, but older adults have historically been less represented in psychotherapy research than younger adults.
Researchers have therefore investigated whether EMDR can be used effectively with older people, including those managing other health or psychological concerns.
These studies help answer an important question: Can older adults experience meaningful improvements from trauma-focused treatment, including EMDR, later in life?
What Has Research Found About PTSD Symptom Reduction?
One important study by Gielkens and colleagues, published in Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy in 2024, examined EMDR treatment in older adults with PTSD.
The study included 25 participants aged 60 to 84 who received treatment at mental health centers in the Netherlands.
Participants attended weekly one-hour EMDR sessions over treatment periods of three, six, or nine months.
Researchers measured PTSD symptoms before and after treatment using structured clinical assessments and self-report questionnaires.
Key findings
The study reported that:
PTSD symptom severity decreased significantly between the beginning and end of treatment.
80% of participants no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD after treatment.
52% met the study's stricter remission definition using the clinician-administered assessment.
Improvements were observed among participants who also had other psychiatric or physical health conditions.
The distinction between losing a PTSD diagnosis and reaching remission is important. Someone may no longer meet the full diagnostic criteria while still experiencing some symptoms.
These results suggest that older adults can experience substantial reductions in PTSD symptoms following EMDR.
However, this was a nonrandomized feasibility study without an untreated or alternative-treatment comparison group. Therefore, the findings cannot establish how much of the improvement was caused specifically by EMDR.
Has Research Compared EMDR Outcomes in Older and Younger Adults?
A 2021 study by Gielkens and colleagues, published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, investigated whether older adults responded differently to an intensive trauma-focused treatment program.
The study included two groups:
62 older adults aged 60 to 78.
62 younger adults aged 19 to 58.
Participants completed an eight-day treatment program that included EMDR, prolonged exposure therapy, physical activity, and group psychoeducation.
Researchers measured PTSD symptoms before and after treatment. A smaller group also completed a six-month follow-up assessment.
What did the study find?
Both age groups experienced substantial reductions in PTSD symptoms.
The researchers did not find a statistically significant difference in treatment outcomes between the older and younger groups.
Improvements were also maintained at the six-month follow-up among participants who completed that assessment.
These findings suggest that older adults may benefit from intensive trauma-focused treatment to a similar extent as younger adults.
However, because the program combined EMDR with other interventions, the study cannot determine how much of the improvement resulted from EMDR alone.
Has EMDR Research Examined Memory and Cognitive Functioning?
Yes. Researchers have explored whether EMDR treatment in older adults with PTSD is associated with changes in memory, learning, and attention.
A study by Gielkens and colleagues, published in the Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology in 2024, examined cognitive functioning in 22 adults aged 60 to 84.
Participants received weekly EMDR sessions over periods of three, six, or nine months.
The researchers used standardized cognitive tests before and after treatment to examine several abilities.
Verbal learning and memory
Researchers assessed how well participants learned, remembered, and recognized verbal information.
Participants showed statistically significant improvements in immediate recall, delayed recall, and recognition after treatment.
Attention and mental flexibility
The study also assessed how participants managed competing information using a color-word interference task.
Performance on this measure improved significantly after EMDR treatment.
Working memory
Working memory refers to the ability to hold and use information briefly, such as remembering a number while completing another mental task.
The researchers did not find a statistically significant improvement in the working-memory measure used in the study.
What do these findings mean?
The results suggest that some aspects of memory and attention may improve during a period of EMDR treatment in older adults with PTSD.
However, the study did not include a control group, and the researchers could not determine whether the cognitive changes resulted directly from EMDR, reduced PTSD symptoms, or other factors.
The findings are therefore best understood as an early exploration of cognitive changes rather than proof that EMDR independently improves memory or prevents age-related cognitive decline.
What Has Research Found About Physical Frailty and Quality of Life?
Researchers have also examined whether changes associated with EMDR treatment extend beyond PTSD symptoms.
A study published in Clinical Gerontologist in 2025 investigated physical frailty and quality of life among older adults receiving EMDR.
Frailty describes a person's overall vulnerability to physical and functional difficulties. It can involve factors such as reduced strength, mobility limitations, and other challenges affecting daily functioning.
The study included 24 adults aged 60 and older with PTSD who received weekly EMDR treatment at two psychiatric hospitals in the Netherlands.
Researchers measured frailty and quality of life before and after treatment using standardized questionnaires.
What were the results?
The study found statistically significant improvements in both measures:
Participants had lower frailty scores after treatment.
Participants reported better quality of life after treatment.
The researchers also examined whether treatment duration or initial PTSD symptom severity influenced these outcomes. They did not identify significant effects of those factors on the observed changes.
These findings suggest that improvements during trauma-focused treatment may occur alongside broader changes in well-being.
However, the study did not include a control group. It cannot establish that EMDR directly caused the improvements in frailty or quality of life.
More research is needed to understand whether these changes occur consistently across larger groups of older adults.
Has EMDR Research Examined Personality Functioning?
Another area of investigation involves personality functioning in older adults with PTSD.
Personality functioning refers to how a person understands themselves, manages emotions, maintains relationships, and navigates everyday experiences.
A study by Gielkens and colleagues, published in Clinical Gerontologist in 2025, examined 24 older adults with PTSD who received EMDR treatment.
The researchers measured several aspects of personality functioning before and after treatment.
What did the study find?
The researchers observed a statistically significant improvement in identity integration, an aspect of personality functioning related to having a coherent sense of self.
They did not find a statistically significant overall improvement over time on the total personality-functioning measure.
The study also found that changes in PTSD symptom severity were associated with personality-functioning scores.
These findings suggest that some aspects of psychological functioning may change during treatment, while others may remain relatively stable.
They do not establish that EMDR directly changes personality or that all aspects of personality functioning improve following treatment.
What Have Researchers Learned About EMDR and Other Health Conditions in Older Adults?
Older adults may experience PTSD alongside depression, anxiety, or physical health conditions.
Researchers have examined whether these additional concerns affect participation in EMDR treatment or the changes observed afterward.
In the 2024 feasibility study involving 25 older adults, many participants had additional psychiatric or physical health conditions.
The researchers found substantial reductions in PTSD symptoms across the sample and did not identify a significant effect of the measured pretreatment clinical complexity on the overall symptom changes examined.
This finding is relevant because it shows that improvements were observed in a group with varied health backgrounds, rather than only among older adults without additional conditions.
However, the small sample does not allow researchers to establish how individual health conditions affect EMDR outcomes across the wider older adult population.
Age alone does not determine whether someone can benefit from EMDR. Individual needs, preferences, and circumstances remain important when considering any treatment approach.
How Have Researchers Measured EMDR Outcomes in Older Adults?
| Research area | What researchers measured |
|---|---|
| PTSD symptoms | Changes in symptom severity and whether participants continued to meet diagnostic criteria |
| Cognitive functioning | Verbal learning, memory recall, recognition, attention, and working memory |
| Quality of life | Participants' reported well-being and everyday functioning |
| Physical frailty | Changes in frailty scores before and after treatment |
| Personality functioning | Changes in self-understanding, identity integration, and related psychological characteristics |
| Age-related outcomes | Differences in treatment response between older and younger adults |
Studies involving older adults have used several approaches to assess changes during and after EMDR treatment.Several studies used the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, commonly called CAPS-5.
This structured interview helps trained evaluators assess PTSD symptoms and their severity.
Researchers also used self-report questionnaires and standardized cognitive tests, depending on the purpose of the study.
Combining different types of assessments allows researchers to examine more than whether someone feels better. It can provide information about changes in symptoms, functioning, and performance on specific tasks.
What Are the Limitations of EMDR Research in Older Adults?
Although the findings are useful, several limitations affect how confidently they can be interpreted.
1. Many studies have small samples
Several studies specifically examining EMDR in older adults included approximately 20 to 25 participants.
Small samples make it difficult to determine how consistently findings apply to larger and more diverse populations.
2. Several studies lack comparison groups
Without a comparison group, researchers cannot confidently separate the effects of EMDR from other influences, such as changes over time, other care, or individual circumstances.
3. Some findings come from closely related research samples
Several Dutch studies involved overlapping research teams, similar treatment settings, and closely related participant groups.
These publications examined different outcomes, but they do not necessarily represent independent replications across several large populations.
4. Some treatment programs combine multiple approaches
Studies that use EMDR alongside other interventions can provide information about combined trauma-focused treatment.
However, they cannot isolate the specific contribution of EMDR.
5. Research involving the oldest adults remains limited
Although some studies included participants in their eighties, relatively few participants were above age 80.
More research is needed to understand treatment outcomes across different stages of later adulthood.
These limitations do not mean that EMDR is ineffective for older adults. They indicate where more carefully controlled research would help strengthen the evidence.
What Questions Could Future EMDR Research in Older Adults Explore?
Future studies could build on existing findings by examining larger and more varied groups of older adults with PTSD.
Researchers may investigate whether EMDR produces different outcomes across age groups, how long improvements are maintained, and whether changes in PTSD symptoms are associated with broader changes in daily functioning.
Studies could also examine whether memory and attention improvements are directly related to treatment or reflect other changes occurring during recovery.
Randomized controlled trials, in which participants are assigned to different treatment conditions, would help researchers make clearer comparisons.
Longer follow-up periods would also provide more information about the durability of improvements.
Additional studies involving adults over 80 and people from different cultural and healthcare backgrounds could help make the research more representative.
What Is the Main Takeaway?
EMDR research involving older adults with PTSD has examined more than trauma symptom reduction.
Studies have investigated changes in memory, attention, quality of life, physical frailty, personality functioning, and differences in treatment outcomes between older and younger adults.
Several studies have reported meaningful improvements following EMDR or trauma-focused treatment programs that included EMDR.
The findings support the view that older adulthood does not automatically limit a person's capacity to benefit from trauma-focused treatment.
At the same time, much of the research specifically focused on older adults remains based on small, uncontrolled studies.
The overall conclusion is that EMDR has shown encouraging results in older adults with PTSD, while larger controlled studies are needed to establish its specific effects on different aspects of health and well-being later in life.
References
Gielkens, E. M. J., Sobczak, S., Rossi, G., & van Alphen, S. P. J. (2024). The feasibility of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) for older adults with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and comorbid psychiatric and somatic disorders. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 16(Suppl. 3), S568–S581.
https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001402Gielkens, E. M. J., de Jongh, A., Sobczak, S., et al. (2021). Comparing intensive trauma-focused treatment outcome on PTSD symptom severity in older and younger adults. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 10(6), 1246.
https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10061246Gielkens, E. M. J., Rossi, G., van Alphen, S. P. J., & Sobczak, S. (2024). A first exploration: Can eye movement desensitization and reprocessing improve cognition in older adults with posttraumatic stress disorder? Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, 37(3), 206–221.
https://doi.org/10.1177/08919887231207639Gielkens, E. M. J., Turksma, K., Kranenburg, L. W., et al. (2025). Feasibility of EMDR in older adults with PTSD to reduce frailty and improve quality of life. Clinical Gerontologist, 48(1), 37–47.
https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2022.2114397Gielkens, E. M. J., Sobczak, S., Gerrits, N., et al. (2025). Feasibility of EMDR toward personality functioning in older adults with PTSD. Clinical Gerontologist, 48(1), 48–59.
https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2024.2344793U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD. Older Adults and PTSD.
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/specific/assess_tx_older_adults.asp
