EMDR 2.0 Group Therapy for PTSD, Depression, and Anxiety in Earthquake Survivors

Following the 2023 Türkiye earthquakes, widespread displacement, loss, and psychological trauma created an urgent need for effective and accessible mental health interventions. This clinical study was developed to address that need by offering a rapid, structured group therapy protocol-EMDR 2.0-to adult survivors residing in a temporary container city in Malatya, a region significantly impacted by the disaster.

EMDR 2.0 is a modified version of traditional Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy. It intensifies working memory taxation through structured, dual-attention tasks and allows for the safe and efficient processing of traumatic memories without requiring verbal disclosure.

The intervention was delivered in the same container units used as temporary housing by survivors, thereby transforming these living spaces into short-term therapeutic settings. Over the course of one week, three group sessions were administered in person. While participants were gathered in a group format, each individual engaged in processing their own traumatic imagery using the EMDR 2.0 protocol.

This approach provided containment and emotional safety within a physically and psychologically shared post-disaster context. Verbal expression of trauma was not required, which minimized the risk of retraumatization and enhanced the accessibility of the intervention for individuals hesitant to disclose.

The study was designed not only to evaluate the effectiveness of EMDR 2.0 in reducing symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety but also to assess the feasibility of implementing this method under real-world post-disaster conditions with limited resources. The findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge on scalable trauma interventions suitable for use in field-based, high-need humanitarian settings.

This work underscores the potential of brief, structured group interventions to facilitate emotional recovery when survivors are supported in environments that respect both their privacy and collective experience.

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18 years or older
• Being a survivor of the 2023 Türkiye earthquakes
• Currently residing in a temporary container settlement in Malatya
• Ability to attend all three face-to-face intervention sessions
• Ability to provide informed consent
• Sufficient cognitive and emotional capacity to complete self-report questionnaires
• Basic literacy (reading and writing) in Turkish to understand and complete self-report scales
• Willingness to voluntarily participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

• Having a current diagnosis of a psychotic disorder (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder with psychotic features)
• History of severe head trauma or neurological condition affecting cognitive capacity
• Active suicidal ideation or risk requiring emergency psychiatric care
• Ongoing substance dependence
• Receiving concurrent trauma-focused psychotherapy during the study period
• Significant hearing, vision, or language impairment interfering with participation
• Inability to attend scheduled sessions or complete follow-up assessments