The eye movement desensitization and reprocessing Integrative Group Treatment Protocol (EMDR-IGTP) has been used in its original format or with adaptations to meet the circumstances in numerous settings around the world for thousands of disaster survivors after natural or man-made incidents. In this study, the EMDR-IGTP was applied during three consecutive days to a group of 20 adults during ongoing geopolitical crisis in a Central American country in 2009. Results in this uncontrolled study showed significant decreases in scores on the Subjective Unit of Disturbance Scale and the Impact of Event Scale (IES). Changes on the IES were maintained at 14 weeks follow-up even though participants were still exposed to ongoing crisis. Controlled research is recommended to further evaluate the efficacy of this intervention.

The EMDR Integrative Group Treatment protocol (EMDR-IGTP) has been used in different parts of the world since 1998 with both adults and children after natural or man-made disasters. This protocol combines the eight standard EMDR treatment phases with a group therapy model, thus providing more extensive reach than the individual application of EMDR. In this study the EMDR-IGTP was used with 16 bereaved children after a human provoked disaster in the Mexican State of Coahuila in 2006. Results showed a significant decrease in scores on the Child’s Reaction to Traumatic Events Scale that was maintained at 3-month follow-up. Although controlled research is needed to establish the efficacy of this intervention, preliminary results suggest that EMDR-IGTP may be an effective means of providing treatment to large groups of people impacted by large-scale critical incidents (e.g., human-provoked disasters, terrorism, natural disasters).

Experiencing cancer is a peculiar stressor within the infrastructure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because this debilitating disease involves ongoing stressors and is both acute and potentially chronic. The experience can include a wide range of associated adverse events, such as tumor detection, diagnosis, severity of disease, and prognosis; aggressive treatment; disfigurement and bodily dysfunction; side effects of treatment; impaired physical, social, and occupational functioning; and sometimes, recurrence and diagnosis of terminal illness. This article provides a detailed description of the clinical application of the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Integrative Group Treatment Protocol (EMDR-IGTP) Adapted for Adolescents and Adults Living with Ongoing Traumatic Stress for the patients with cancer. This protocol administers the eight phases of EMDR individual treatment to a group of patients using an art therapy format (i.e., drawings) and the butterfly hug (a self-administered bilateral stimulation method to process traumatic material). A previous study (Jarero et al., 2015) showed that after 6 sessions of EMDR-IGTP, there was a significant decrease in PTSD symptoms related to the diagnosis and treatment of different types of cancer in adult women. Effects were maintained at 90-day follow-up. In this article, we discuss how this protocol can be used to effectively provide intensive EMDR treatment to large groups of patients, and we provide detailed instructions for its provision to address one of the major psychological dimensions of cancer: the ongoing traumatic stress responses experienced by patients with cancer. A clinical example illustrates the treatment process.

This randomized, controlled group field study was conducted subsequent to a 7.2 earthquake in North Baja California, Mexico. Treatment was provided according to continuum of care principles. Crisis management debriefing was provided to 53 individuals. After this, the 18 individuals who had high scores on the Impact of Event Scale (IES) were then provided with the eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) Protocol for Recent Critical Incidents (EMDR-PRECI), a single-session modified EMDR protocol for the treatment of recent trauma. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: immediate treatment group and waitlist/delayed treatment group. There was no improvement in the waitlist/delayed treatment group, and scores of the immediate treatment group participants were significantly improved, compared with waitlist/delayed treatment group paticipants. One session of EMDR-PRECI produced significant improvement on symptoms of posttraumatic stress for both the immediate-treatment and waitlist/delayed treatment groups, with results maintained at 12-week follow-up, even though frightening aftershocks continued to occur frequently. This study provides preliminary evidence in support of the protocol’s efficacy in a disaster mental health continuum of care context. More controlled research is recommended to evaluate further the efficacy of this intervention.

This research evaluated the effectiveness of the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Protocol for Recent Critical Incidents (EMDR-PRECI) in reducing posttraumatic stress symptoms related to the explosion in an explosives manufacturing factory north of Mexico City that killed 7 employees. The EMDR-PRECI was administered on 2 consecutive days to 25 survivors who had posttraumatic stress symptoms related to the critical incident. Participants’ mean score on the Short PTSD Rating Interview (SPRINT) was 22, well above the clinical cutoff of 14. They were randomly assigned to immediate and waitlist/delayed treatment conditions and therapy was provided within 15 days of the explosion. Results showed significant main effects for the condition factor, F(1, 80) = 67.04, p < .000. SPRINT scores were significantly different across time showing the effects of the EMDR therapy through time, F(3, 80) = 150.69, p < .000. There was also a significant interaction effect, condition by time, F(2, 80) = 55.45, p < .001. There were significant differences between the two treatment conditions at Time 2 (post-immediate treatment vs. post-waitlist/delayed), t(11) = −10.08, p < .000. Treatment effects were maintained at 90-day follow-up. Results also showed an overall subjective improvement in the participants. This randomized controlled trial provides evidence for the efficacy of EMDR-PRECI in reducing posttraumatic stress symptoms after a technological disaster.

This article presents an overview of the eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) Humanitarian Trauma Recovery Interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean and provides the reader with clinical stories from the front lines. During our many years working in the field, we have observed that psychological trauma is a challenging consequence of the multifaceted situations confronting individuals and communities after disasters. In this article, we describe the EMDR humanitarian interventions provided since 1998 in Latin America and the Caribbean to address survivors’ psychological distress after natural disasters (e.g., flooding, landslides, earthquakes), man-made disasters, human massacre, and severe interpersonal violence. Treatment has been provided to child, adolescent, and adult survivors, often in community settings, and to first responders and cancer patients. The EMDR early intervention protocols are brief effective interventions that can be used in the field or emergency situations; there is a body of research supporting the use of modified EMDR therapy protocols to treat acute trauma in both group and individual formats (Jarero, Artigas, & Luber, 2011).