EMDR Treatment of Conditioned Nausea and Vomiting in Cancer Survivors (EMESIS)

EMDR Treatment of Conditioned Nausea and Vomiting in Cancer Survivors - a Pilot Study

To explore the effectiveness of EMDR therapy treatment in reducing symptoms of chemotherapy-induced conditioned nausea and vomiting in (former) patients with cancer.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Cancer Survivors
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: EMDR therapy

Detailed Description

Conditioned nausea and vomiting is a common side effect of anti-cancer treatment, and while strategies like antiemetics exist, their effectiveness is limited. Conditioned nausea and vomiting can possibly be addressed through Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. EMDR therapy is a therapeutic intervention, proven to be effective in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and promising in treating a range of other conditions. At the UMCG, EMDR therapy is used on a small scale to treat conditioned nausea with positive results, although more rigorous research is needed to fully establish its efficacy. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of EMDR therapy treatment in reducing symptoms of chemotherapy-induced conditioned nausea and vomiting in (former) patients with cancer.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Jacco J de Haan, MD, PhD; Phone Number: +31503616161; Email: j.j.de.haan@umcg.nl

Study Locations

• Netherlands
  • Provincie Groningen
    • Groningen, Provincie Groningen, Netherlands, 9713 GZ
      • Recruiting
      • University Medical Center Groningen
      • Principal Investigator: Jacco J de Haan, MD, PhD
      • Contact: Jacco J de Haan, MD, PhD; Phone Number: +31 50 361 61 61; Email: j.j.de.haan@umcg.nl

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Previously pathologically confirmed diagnosis of cancer
• Previously treated with systemic cancer therapy
• Persistent complaints (more than 2 months) of conditioned nausea and/or vomiting
• Able to understand spoken and written Dutch
• 18 years or older

Exclusion Criteria:

• Ongoing psychiatric treatment
• EMDR therapy contraindications (dissociative disorders, personality disorders or severe somatic disorders (e.g. cardiac arrhythmias))
• Complex type 2 trauma
• Known with recent conditions / non-anti-cancer medication which can elicit nausea (e.g. pregnancy or alcohol abuses)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: EMDR Therapy; EMDR therapy sessions with a trained psychologist.

Other: EMDR therapy; In this study, EMDR therapy will be performed by psychologists of the UMCG who are trained in EMDR therapy and who have experience with patients with somatic diseases. In the EMDR therapy protocol, the patient is guided through eight phases which incorporate dual focus of attention and alternating bilateral visual, auditory, and/or tactile stimulation (see supplement for protocol). The number of sessions varies per patient (1-3 sessions), depending on the desensitization of the conditioned stimuli. The sessions will last 60-90 minutes.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Degree of conditioned nausea and vomiting	Degree of conditioned nausea and vomiting after exposure to conditioned stimuli using the nausea profile questionnaire measured using the nausea profile questionnaire (9-point Likert scale, higher scores = worse outcome)	Before intake EMDR therapy session and three weeks after last EMDR therapy session

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Impact on QoL of conditioned nausea and vomiting	Impact on QoL of conditioned nausea and vomiting using Functional Living Index- Emesis (FLIE) questionnaire (7-point Likert scale, higher scores = better/worse outcome, depending on the question)	Before EMDR therapy

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Medical Center Groningen
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jacco J de Haan, MD, PhD, University Medical Center Groningen

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 2, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 9, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 8, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): January 10, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 11, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 4, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Nausea; Vomiting; EMDR
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Nausea; Vomiting
• Other Study ID Numbers: 19946

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No