Introduction: Patients on hemodialysis experience high levels of psychological stress. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) on the stress of patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Methods: The present study was a randomized clinical trial that was carried out on ninety patients undergoing hemodialysis at Shahid Rajaei Hospital, Karaj during year 2015-16. The subjects were selected using the purposeful sampling method. Then, the patients were randomly allocated to two groups; control group (n = 45) and experimental group (n = 45). Desensitization method with eye movements and reprocessing was performed by the experimental group for around 30 to 45 minutes. Patients in the control group received routine care of the study setting. Data were collected using the Hemodialysis Stress Scale questionnaire (HSS-Baldree) before and after the intervention by a researcher, who was blind to the group the patients were allocated to. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U, Fisher's Exact Test, T-test, and Chi-square tests with the SPSS 21 software.

Results: The mean of anxiety in the experimental group was 66.77 ± 16.15 before the intervention and 38.22 ± 7.45 after the intervention. The mean score of stress among the participants showed a significant difference pre and post-intervention in the experimental group (P < 0.001). However, this difference was not significant in the control group.

Conclusions: The findings indicate that the desensitization method with eye movements and reprocessing decreases patient's stress during treatment procedures. The use of EMRD for patients undergoing hemodialysis will lead to improved health and reduces their stress.