The EMDR Therapy Explained by Dr Norman Goldwasser

Dr Norman Goldwasser has over 30 years of experience using the innovative trauma therpy methodology Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). He carried out a systematic exhaustive search of the studies published up to January 2018, using the PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Knowledge and Scopus databases that examined the EMDR mechanism of action or provided conclusions within the framework of the current theoretical models of EMDR operation.

Eighty seven studies were selected for review and classified into three general models; (i) psychological models, (ii) psychophysiological models and (iii) neurobiological models. The available evidence from each study was analyzed and discussed. The results demonstrated a reasonable empirical support for the working memory hypothesis and for the physiological changes associated with the successful EMDR therapy. Recently, more sophisticated structural and functional neuroimaging studies using high-resolution structural and temporal techniques are beginning to provide preliminary evidence on the neuronal correlates before, during and after EMDR therapy.

Despite the increasing number of studies published in recent years, research on the mechanisms underlying EMDR therapy is still in its infancy. Studies are needed in well-defined clinical and nonclinical populations, larger sample sizes and stricter methodological control to draw firm conclusions.