This article is an evaluation of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) Europe Humanitarian Assistance Program (HAP) facilitators’ training in Pakistan based on a project set up in the aftermath of the 2005 earthquake. Q-methodology was the method of choice for this research because it permits the systematic study of subjective experiences by combining the richness of qualitative protocols with the rigors of quantitative ones. Research participants were 6 recently trained EMDR Pakistan consultants and facilitators, of which 5 were consultant psychiatrists and 1 was a general practitioner (GP)/psychologist. The Q concourse addressed issues such as EMDR clinical practice, cultural application of EMDR in Pakistan, EMDR research and development, and their experiences of their EMDR-HAP training. Results highlighted issues around professional role and application of EMDR, the teaching and learning experience of EMDR, clinical supervision, the importance of the therapeutic relationship, and the cultural sensitivity and application of EMDR in Pakistan. The article also considers how the EMDR-HAP training program could be improved in Pakistan.

This research projects spans a 6-year period surveying 485 participants’ experiences of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) training in the United Kingdom and Ireland between the periods of 2005 and 2011. This research used a mixed research methodology exploring EMDR training participants’ application of EMDR within their current clinical practice. The rationale was to explore potential differences between EMDR-accredited and EMDR-nonaccredited clinicians in relation to retrospective reports of treatment. Results indicate that EMDR-accredited clinicians report better treatment outcomes. An argument is presented that EMDR has progressed from a convergent technique to a divergent psychotherapeutic approach. Consequently, the research explored whether current EMDR training is “fit for purpose.” A comprehensive model for EMDR training is outlined, proposing the importance of developing more EMDR training in academic institutions.

The empirical justification for the use of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy as part of the repertoire of interventions used in response to humanitarian endeavors continues at a pace. A devastating earthquake, measuring 7.6 magnitude on the Richter scale, occurred in Northern Pakistan in October 2005. In response, the first EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Program to be facilitated by an academic institution was established. This article highlights how 3 research projects assisted in the continued development of EMDR therapy in Pakistan to the point where presently more than 125 Pakistani mental health professionals have now been trained; it now has its own EMDR National Association and is an active participant within EMDR Asia.

Complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) is a diagnostic entity that will be included in the forthcoming edition of the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (ICD-11). It denotes a severe form of PTSD, comprising not only the symptom clusters of PTSD (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition [DSM-IV-TR]), but also clusters reflecting difficulties in regulating emotions, disturbances in relational capacities, and adversely affected belief systems about oneself, others, or the world. Evidence is mounting suggesting that first-line trauma-focused treatments, including eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, are effective not only for the treatment of PTSD, but also for the treatment of patients with a history of early childhood interpersonal trauma who are suffering from symptoms characteristic of CPTSD. However, controversy exists as to when EMDR therapy should be offered to people with CPTSD. This article reviews the evidence in support of EMDR therapy as a first-line treatment for CPTSD and addresses the fact that there appears to be little empirical evidence supporting the view that there should be a stabilization phase prior to trauma processing in working with CPTSD.

Given that 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, the purpose of this article is to summarize the current empirical evidence in support of EMDR therapy as an effective treatment intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Currently, there are more than 30 randomized controlled trials (RCT) demonstrating the effectiveness in patients with this debilitating mental health condition, thus providing a robust evidence base for EMDR therapy as a first-choice treatment for PTSD. Results from several meta-analyses further suggest that EMDR therapy is equally effective as its most important trauma-focused comparator, that is, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, albeit there are indications from some studies that EMDR therapy might be more efficient and cost-effective. There is emerging evidence showing that EMDR treatment of patients with psychiatric disorders, such as psychosis, in which PTSD is comorbid, is also safe, effective, and efficacious. In addition to future well-crafted RCTs in areas such as combat-related PTSD and psychiatric disorders with comorbid PTSD, RCTs with PTSD as the primary diagnosis remain pivotal in further demonstrating EMDR therapy as a robust treatment intervention.

This article reviews research that investigated the idiosyncratic effects of sexual abuse perpetrated by Roman Catholic priests and makes related treatment recommendations. The research determined that this distinct form of sexual trauma generated unique posttraumatic symptoms not accounted for within the existing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder conceptual frameworks. These included significant anxiety and distress in areas such as theological belief, crisis of faith, and fears surrounding the participant’s own mortality. This article makes recommendations about EMDR treatment with clergy abuse survivors, based on these research findings utilizing a survivor’s story to illustrate case formulation and the utilization of process and content cognitive interweaves in addressing episodes of blocked processing.

This study was conducted in the United Kingdom at two major conferences to examine how therapists (N = 83) integrated eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) into their clinical practice. Data from a mixed methodology suggests that up to 40% of the sample experienced difficulties post-EMDR training. Results indicated that analytically trained and humanistic therapists experienced significantly more difficulties in integrating EMDR into the current clinical practice than integrative or cognitive behavioral clinicians. This study also ascertained that EMDR clinicians experienced workplace difficulties and challenges. Consideration is given to how the study findings may have implications for both the teaching and learning of EMDR and workplace issues.