Browsing by Author "Ülker, Selami Varol"

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Reduces Symptom Severity and Normalizes Neurophysiological and Attentional Reactivity in Anorexia Nervosa: A Randomized Controlled Trial
(MDPI, 2026) Yılmazer, Eda; Çınaroğlu, Metin; Hızlı Sayar, Gökben; Ülker, Selami Varol
Background: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe psychiatric disorder marked by restrictive eating, distorted body image, and high relapse rates. While cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a widely used treatment, its mechanisms of action in AN remain incompletely understood, particularly beyond self-reported symptom change. This study investigated the effects of a 12-week CBT intervention on both clinical and multimodal laboratory-based outcomes in women with restrictive-type AN. Methods: In a two-arm, pre-post randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT07037017), 59 women with restrictive-type AN were randomized to a CBT intervention (n = 30) or no-treatment control (n = 29). A total of 50 participants (CBT: 26; control: 24) completed baseline and post-intervention assessments and were included in analyses. Outcomes included psychometric measures (eating disorder symptoms, depression, anxiety, body image-related obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and cognitive emotion regulation) and laboratory-based indices: electroencephalography (EEG), galvanic skin response (GSR), and eye-tracking during exposure to food- and body-related stimuli. Group & times; Time effects were analyzed using repeated-measures mixed-effects models, and statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS (Version 31; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results: Significant Group & times; Time interactions indicated greater improvements in the CBT group across all psychometric outcomes, including reduced eating disorder symptom severity (p < 0.001, eta(2)(p) = 0.28) and increased adaptive emotion regulation. CBT participants also showed significant reductions in EEG P300 and late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes to body-related stimuli, increased frontal alpha asymmetry, decreased visual fixation on salient body and food cues, and attenuated GSR reactivity (all p < 0.05). Exploratory correlations revealed that symptom improvements were associated with reductions in neurophysiological and attentional reactivity. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first RCT in AN to demonstrate that CBT not only improves self-reported outcomes but also modulates neurophysiological and attentional processes implicated in the maintenance of the disorder. Multimodal laboratory assessments provided mechanistic insight into treatment effects and may inform personalized intervention strategies. CBT appears to facilitate recovery through both cognitive-emotional and physiological recalibration.
Comparative Efficacy of Brief Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2026) Çınaroğlu M.; Yılmazer E.; Ülker S.V.; Hızlı Sayar G.; Çınaroğlu, Metin; Yılmazer, Eda; Hızlı Sayar, Gökben; Ülker, Selami Varol
Background: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most established psychological treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), yet many patients do not achieve full remission. Brief psychoanalytic psychotherapy represents a theoretically distinct alternative, but direct controlled comparisons remain limited. This study examined the short-term efficacy of brief psychoanalytic psychotherapy and CBT relative to a waitlist control in adults with GAD. Methods: In a three-arm randomized controlled trial, 60 adults with DSM-5-diagnosed GAD were allocated to brief psychoanalytic psychotherapy (12 weekly sessions), CBT (12 weekly sessions), or a waitlist control. Assessments were conducted at pre-treatment and post-treatment. The primary outcome was anxiety severity measured by the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Secondary outcomes included depressive symptoms (BDI-II), quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF), functional impairment (WHODAS 2.0), and therapeutic alliance (Working Alliance Inventory). Data were analyzed using mixed-design ANOVAs and effect size estimates. Results: Both active treatments produced significantly greater reductions in anxiety than the waitlist control, with large effect sizes. Mean BAI scores decreased by 14.5 points in the psychoanalytic group and 16.3 points in the CBT group, compared to minimal change in the waitlist condition. Similar patterns were observed for depressive symptoms, quality of life, and functional impairment, with both therapies outperforming waitlist controls on all secondary outcomes. No statistically significant differences were found between CBT and brief psychoanalytic psychotherapy on any outcome measure. Therapeutic alliance ratings were high and comparable across the two active treatments. Conclusions: Brief psychoanalytic psychotherapy and CBT were both effective short-term treatments for GAD and superior to no treatment, with no significant differences between the two modalities at post-treatment. These findings suggest that time-limited psychoanalytic psychotherapy may represent a promising short-term therapeutic option to CBT for GAD, expanding treatment options for patients and clinicians. © 2026 by the authors.
Comparing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Ericksonian Hypnotherapy for Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial
(Routledge, 2026) Çınaroğlu M.; Yılmazer E.; Odabaşı C.; Ülker S.V.; Tan S.; Hızlı Sayar G.; Çınaroğlu, Metin; Sayar, Gokben Hizli; Tan, Selin; Ülker, Selami Varol; Yılmazer, Eda; Odabaşı, Cemre; Hızlı Sayar, Gökben
Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a chronic condition that often responds well to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), though many patients fail to achieve full remission. Ericksonian Hypnotherapy (EH) has been proposed as a promising alternative. This randomized controlled trial compared the efficacy of CBT and EH against a waitlist control in 99 adults with OCD. Participants received 12 weekly online therapy sessions. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, mid-treatment, and post-treatment using the Padua Inventory-Revised, Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale–Self-Report (Y-BOCS-SR), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Both CBT and EH led to large, statistically and clinically significant reductions in OCD symptoms compared to waitlist. CBT was more effective for compulsive behaviors such as washing, while EH produced greater reductions in obsessive rumination and general anxiety. No serious adverse events occurred. These findings suggest that EH is a viable and comparably effective treatment to CBT, with distinct therapeutic benefits. EH may offer a particularly useful option for patients with obsession-dominant symptom profiles or comorbid anxiety. © 2026 International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.
Ericksonian Hypnotherapy versus Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2026) Çınaroğlu, Metin; Yılmazer, Eda; Noyan Ahlatcıoğlu, Esra; Hızlı Sayar, Gökben; Ülker, Selami Varol
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by persistent psychological distress and heightened neurophysiological reactivity. While trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an established treatment, Ericksonian Hypnotherapy (EH) may offer comparable benefits via different therapeutic mechanisms. In this randomized clinical trial, 63 adults meeting DSM-5 criteria for PTSD were allocated (1:1:1) to EH, CBT, or a waitlist control; 54 participants completed post-treatment assessments. Both active interventions consisted of 12 weekly individual sessions. Outcomes included PTSD symptom severity (PCL-5), depression (BDI-II), anxiety (BAI), EEG markers (N2, P3, frontal alpha asymmetry), and autonomic reactivity (galvanic skin response, heart rate). Group & times; Time effects were analyzed using mixed-effects models. Treatment fidelity was independently evaluated. Both EH and CBT produced large and significant reductions in PTSD symptoms compared with waitlist, with no significant difference between the two therapies in total PCL-5 improvement. Depression and anxiety symptoms also decreased substantially in both active groups. Subscale analyses suggested slightly greater reductions in intrusion, hyperarousal, and somatic anxiety symptoms in EH, whereas CBT showed modestly greater improvement in cognitive depressive symptoms. Neurophysiological findings demonstrated parallel treatment-related changes across therapies, including normalization of ERP components, shifts toward left-frontal alpha activity, and reduced autonomic reactivity to trauma cues. No adverse events were observed. In this study, Ericksonian Hypnotherapy was as effective as trauma-focused CBT for reducing PTSD symptoms and associated psychological and physiological dysregulation, supporting EH as a viable alternative intervention for PTSD.