EMDRdot Monthly / Research archive
Clear questions.
Grounded research.
Twenty-four full-length research articles for clinicians and the clients they support.
October 2024–September 2026 are issue labels, not historical publication dates. These editions were prepared September 11, 2026 and may include research published after their labeled month.
Source review scope and access limitations are recorded in the supplied editorial audit. A citation link does not imply that a paper is open access. Evidence positions are editorial descriptions, not formal GRADE ratings.
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24 articles
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September 2026 Retrospective edition
How to Choose an EMDR Therapist: Training, Questions, Safety, and Fit
The right consultation gives you more than confidence in a technique. It gives you a clear picture of the clinician, the plan, and your choices.
Evidence position: Practical selection guidance, not a validated clinician-ranking tool or a guarantee of treatment outcome.
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August 2026 Retrospective edition
How Do I Know If I’m Ready for EMDR?
Readiness is a shared clinical decision about a particular next step, not a requirement to become perfectly calm or to meet a universal checklist.
Evidence position: Individualized assessment and preparation; no validated universal readiness checklist is offered here.
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July 2026 Retrospective edition
Body Sensations and EMDR: Why Therapy Doesn’t Only Focus on Thoughts
Body sensations can be relevant to the therapy conversation without serving as proof of a memory, a diagnosis, or a completed biological process.
Evidence position: Protocol-based education; physiological explanations remain uncertain and medical concerns need appropriate assessment.
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June 2026 Retrospective edition
Negative Beliefs in EMDR: “I’m Not Good Enough,” “I’m Unsafe,” and “It’s My Fault”
Belief work should make room for accuracy and personal meaning. It should not require adopting a therapist-selected positive statement.
Evidence position: Protocol-based education with limited, context-specific comparative evidence for self-esteem.
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May 2026 Retrospective edition
You Don’t Have to Tell the Whole Story: How Much Trauma Detail Does EMDR Require?
Less detailed narration can be part of EMDR, but it does not mean no assessment, no communication, or a requirement to avoid every difficult feeling.
Evidence position: Protocol-based education; less spoken detail is not a guarantee of less distress or universal treatment superiority.
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April 2026 Retrospective edition
What Happens in Your Brain During EMDR? What We Know and What We Don’t
Research offers possible explanations for EMDR, but no single brain story has been established as the complete account of how treatment helps.
Evidence position: Mechanisms remain under investigation; clinical effectiveness and a proven biological explanation are different questions.
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March 2026 Retrospective edition
Can EMDR Be Done Online? Telehealth, Safety, and Bilateral Stimulation
Online delivery is a real clinical option, but evidence for EMDR, remote care, and a particular software product must remain separate.
Evidence position: Promising remote-delivery evidence; not proof that every format or product equals in-person treatment.
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February 2026 Retrospective edition
EMDR and Psychosis: Is Trauma Processing Possible?
Psychosis does not erase a person’s need for trauma care. The evidence concerns selected clinical presentations, not a general cure for psychotic symptoms.
Evidence position: Emerging specialist evidence, especially for co-occurring PTSD; core psychotic symptoms and safety require separate assessment.
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January 2026 Retrospective edition
EMDR and Addiction: Can Processing Memories Reduce Cravings?
Some studies suggest benefit for cravings, but reduced craving is not the same as sustained recovery or a replacement for addiction treatment.
Evidence position: Emerging and mixed evidence; craving improvement does not establish reduced use or long-term recovery.
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December 2025 Retrospective edition
EMDR for Grief and Painful Loss: When a Memory Feels Stuck
EMDR may help some trauma-related aspects of bereavement, but the goal is not to erase love, eliminate sadness, or impose a timetable on grief.
Evidence position: Limited and context-specific evidence; combined-treatment findings do not isolate EMDR.
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November 2025 Retrospective edition
EMDR for Medical Trauma, Illness, and Cancer
Medical experiences can create a need for psychological support. Emerging EMDR research concerns that distress, not treatment of cancer or other diseases.
Evidence position: Emerging evidence for illness-related distress and PTSD; no evidence here of treating the underlying physical disease.
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October 2025 Retrospective edition
Can EMDR Help Chronic Pain?
Early research is encouraging, but EMDR should not be presented as a proven cure for chronic pain or an alternative to appropriate medical care.
Evidence position: Emerging evidence; not established as routine treatment for every chronic pain condition.
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September 2025 Retrospective edition
Dissociation and EMDR: Can Someone Be “Too Dissociated” for Treatment?
Dissociation is a reason for careful assessment, not a simple yes-or-no verdict about whether someone can benefit from trauma treatment.
Evidence position: PTSD research challenges automatic exclusion; evidence does not establish a single approach for every dissociative disorder.
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August 2025 Retrospective edition
Complex Trauma and EMDR: Why Treatment May Need to Look Different
Complex histories call for thoughtful formulation. They do not automatically require endless preparation or immediate intensive processing.
Evidence position: Research supports EMDR for some complex trauma presentations; treatment sequence must be individualized.
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July 2025 Retrospective edition
EMDR vs. Trauma-Focused CBT: Does One Work Better?
Research supports more than one trauma-focused therapy. A meaningful comparison asks which treatment fits the person, not which brand always wins.
Evidence position: Both approaches have PTSD evidence; research does not establish one universal winner.
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June 2025 Retrospective edition
EMDR for Children and Adolescents
EMDR has research support for posttraumatic stress in young people, but developmental fit and family context belong in every treatment decision.
Evidence position: Promising PTSD evidence in young people; age, comparison treatment, and study quality matter.
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May 2025 Retrospective edition
Does EMDR Erase Memories? Myths vs. What Reprocessing Really Means
The goal is a different relationship to a difficult memory, not an erased past or a guarantee of perfect recall.
Evidence position: Client education supported by treatment descriptions and memory-mechanism research; no memory-erasure or truth-verification claim.
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April 2025 Retrospective edition
EMDR and Depression: Major Depression and Persistent Depression
Depression research is promising, but symptom studies, MDD trials, and small chronic-depression feasibility studies answer different questions.
Evidence position: Promising for depressive symptoms and MDD; substantially more limited direct evidence for persistent depressive disorder.
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March 2025 Retrospective edition
Can EMDR Help Anxiety, Panic, and Phobias?
Promising anxiety research should not be confused with one treatment recommendation for every fear, worry, or panic symptom.
Evidence position: Promising but uneven evidence outside PTSD; diagnosis-specific assessment and established alternatives matter.
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February 2025 Retrospective edition
EMDR for PTSD: What the Research Actually Says
PTSD is the clearest evidence-supported use of EMDR. Strong evidence still calls for individualized goals and realistic expectations.
Evidence position: Guideline-supported treatment for PTSD; individual response and comparative advantages vary.
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January 2025 Retrospective edition
Why Do the Eyes Move? What Bilateral Stimulation May Be Doing
The eye movements are worth studying, but no single explanation establishes how all of EMDR works or validates every stimulation tool.
Evidence position: Mechanism research: plausible accounts and supportive experiments, but no settled complete explanation.
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December 2024 Retrospective edition
EMDR vs. Talk Therapy: What Is Actually Different?
The useful comparison is between specific treatments and goals, not between EMDR and a vague category called talk therapy.
Evidence position: Evidence-informed comparison; no universal winner across diagnoses, populations, or outcomes.
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November 2024 Retrospective edition
The 8 Phases of EMDR: Why Preparation Comes Before Processing
The eight phases provide a treatment structure, not an eight-session promise. Preparation should be purposeful and individualized.
Evidence position: Protocol education; research does not support a mandatory lengthy preparation course for every client.
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October 2024 Retrospective edition
What Is EMDR and Is It Actually Evidence-Based?
EMDR is an established PTSD treatment, not a magic technique or a cure for every condition. Here is how to read its evidence without the hype.
Evidence position: Guideline-supported for PTSD; evidence varies substantially for other conditions.
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