July 2024

AROUND THE WORLD 7-2024

-Marilyn Luber

EMDR Africa

EMDR Africa

Hellen Hornsveld and Alex Hooijschuur report that, “In 2024 a coalition of organizations including, Stepping Stones International Botswana, University of Ghana, EMDR Uganda, Trauma Aid NL, and a team of Dutch EMDR trainers and consultants have organized EMDR Africa accredited EMDR trainings in Gaborone, Botswana; Gulu-Kampala and Mbarara, Uganda; and Accra, Ghana.”

Reyhana Reedat writes, “In March 2024, a training was organized by Trauma Aid France in Kigali (for safety reasons) for twenty-six Congolese and three Rwandan participants. The trainer was Eva Zimmerman with two EMDR Europe facilitators. We are now providing on line supervisions including adaptations recommended in Africa. In the Eastern DRC, there are many psychologists who are interested in being trained. Trauma Aid France is considering organizing another level one in the near future. future. There are two cohorts of Ugandan clinicians who were trained this year by Sjef Berendsen and Hellen Hornsveld. Level 1 had 18 participants and level two 17 participants. In May, two EMDR Europe supervisors were in Uganda to give 2 days of supervision and case consultation to the trainees in Gulu and Kampala. There will be another 2-day face-to-face supervision in October, where on successful completion, certificates of completion will be given. We are finalizing arrangements for a Level 1 training in October in Mbarara, Western Uganda for 24 psychologists in refugee camps.”

Madagascar

Hasina Bakohariliva notes, “In 2023, I represented the EMDR Madagascar Association at the EMDR European Conference in Bologna with a poster on the subject of the First experience of EMDR therapy in minors who are victims of sexual assault in Mahajanga, Madagascar. The conclusion was that ‘EMDR therapy is well accepted by the Malagasy people and therefore promotes both prevention and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.” In June 2024, our most recent study was on resilience and treating patients in Madagascar: Aspects de la pratique de la thérapie EMDR à Madagascar, is being finalized, but we have already presented the preliminary results during the 9th Congress of the Malagasy Psychiatry Society in Madagascar. The results showed that the practice of EMDR therapy in a developing country can be helpful with early trauma intervention, and supports resilience.”

EMDR ASIA

EMDR Asia

Parul Tank reports on the progress of EMDR Asia and other Asian countries that follow. She says, “Since the formation of EMDR Asia in 2010, we have been focused on providing EMDR Therapy Basic Trainings across Asia. In 2014, International Guidelines for Minimum Criteria for EMDR Standards and Training of the EMDR Global Alliance were accepted by the EMDR Asia Board. Since 2017, because we thought this was of the utmost importance, we worked towards the standardization of training and curriculum for Asia, as we succeeded in bringing Asian EMDR communities together to have the same training standards. We are proud to say that EMDR Asia has now established its own training standards that are consistent and adapted from EMDR Europe, EMDR Institute, Trauma Recovery/ HAP & EMDRIA established standards.

EMDR Asia formed a committee of Training, Standards & Accreditation (TSA) in 2017 with Sushma Mehrotra (India) as Chair, Masaya Ichii (Japan), Tri Iswardani Sadatun (Indonesia), Ann Parichawan, (Thailand) & Parul Tank, (India) as Co-Chairs to initiate a think tank for bringing uniformity to EMDR Therapy Basic training. In 2023, Dushyant Bhadlikar (India) was added as a Co- Chair for TSA. The TSA members and other trainers from Asia were actively involved during the Trainers’ Training, as well as being mentors during the process of completing the post-orientation training requirements of the Trainers-in-training. We approached the EMDR Institute and we were granted permission to use the EMDR Institute manual and were directed to reach Trauma Recovery/HAP to receive further support. While developing the training guidelines, our TSA team were guided by the trainers from the EMDR Institute (Gary Quinn), Trauma Recovery/HAP (Rosalie Thomas) & Trauma Aid, (Derek Farrell). We were ready with the Asian guidelines and created our Trainers and Consultants Orientation training in 2016-2017. An orientation of Training of Trainers (ToT) for EMDR Training Part 1 was planned after going through several consultation and meetings with trainers from Trauma Aid, Trauma Recovery HAP and the EMDR Institute.

The first EMDR Asia Trainers’ and Consultants Training was held in Shanghai, 24-25 April 2017, under the mentorship of senior trainers from EMDR Institute, Trauma Aid, Trauma Recovery/HAP (Gary Quinn, Derek Farrell, Rosalie Thomas) for the trainers’ training. In 2016, Francine Shapiro suggested that Masaya Ichii and Sushma Mehrotra provide the Trainers’ Trainings for Asia and now they are in charge of it. Marilyn Luber along with Parul Tank and Dushyant Bhadlikar organized Consultants’ training. During January 2020, Trainers and Consultants Orientation Trainings were organized in Bangkok, Thailand, under the mentorship of Rosalie Thomas and supported by Trauma Recovery HAP. along with the trainers of EMDR Asia, who are the TSA Members of EMDR Asia.

In 2023, trainers who were members of the TSA of EMDR Asia organized an orientation training virtually for the EMDR Basic training, and for facilitators and consultants. These trainings occurred with the support of Rosalie Thomas and with permission from Robbie Dunton to use the updated manual from the EMDR Institute manual and with support from Carol Martin, executive director of Trauma Recovery/HAP for financial and technical support and outreach activities. Post these orientation trainings, the trainees are completing their requirements while receiving ongoing supervision for the remaining steps.”

EMDR Asia Conference

Parul Tank notes, “The 5th EMDR Asia Conference, held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, was a gathering of professionals dedicated to advancing the transformative power of EMDR therapy. The conference’s theme, EMDR Therapy, Rebuilding Hope, resonated throughout the event, emphasizing the role of EMDR in promoting healing and resilience. The conference began with a sense of optimism and commitment towards advancing EMDR therapy’s impact on healing trauma and rebuilding hope across Asia and beyond. Our keynote presenters were Robbie Dunton (on zoom) and Carol Martin. Dolores Mosquera, Gary Quinn & Derek Farrell gave lectures and workshops that were very much appreciated. We also had pre-conference workshops by Mark Nickerson, Deborah Silveria, and Michelle Gottlieb. Attendees were encouraged to actively participate, share ideas, and carry the passion for healing forward to their communities. We are happy to report that the next EMDR ASIA conference will be in EMDR INDIA’s Mumbai from January 20th-February 1st 2026. Please save the date: https://emdrasia.org/save-the-date-6th-emdr-asia-conference-india-2026/”

Bangladesh

Shaheen Islam reports “Since 2015, the crusade to support the dissemination of EMDR in Bangladesh has been steady. We have had strong support from the Department of Education and Counselling Psychology, at the University of Dhaka and with the help of HAP/Trauma Aid Switzerland. Trauma Aid Switzerland supported the project Psycho-traumatology and EMDR in Bangladesh to train mental health professionals in the EMDR Basic Training. This led to the formation of EMDR Bangladesh Association with Shamim F Karim as president. To date, there are 31 practicing members in the association. We, from EMDR Bangladesh Association, are providing trainings on basic psycho-traumatology, as a prerequisite to enter into the EMDR Basic Training. The structure of the curriculum in our psycho-traumatology is as follows: Trauma-Informed Care; Understanding Attachment; and Stabilization. Since July, 2024, eighty-two participants attended these trainings; they are offered as hybrid trainings in-person and virtual. The EMDR Basic training was conducted by EMDR Asia trainers online. We are scaling up by supporting two of our members in their trainer’s training, through EMDR Asia. We are also receiving regular case supervision by our mentor Hanna Egli from Switzerland; and in August, she will deliver a workshop on, Dialogue Protocol; this will provide a safe space for EMDR practitioners in Bangladesh to develop professionally and increase learning about creating a positive work environment.

Under the leadership of Shaheen Islam, HAP-Bangladesh was formed. Our members have responded to many humanitarian calls for support during disasters, such as a massive fire incident in Dhaka city, road accidents and suicide incidents concerning school children, the influx of Rohinga refugees and finally the pandemic of COVID 19. The members of EMDR-BD responded by teaching Gary Quinn’s Self-Care protocol to more than 200 people. Moreover, throughout the year TR/HAP Bangladesh has been providing pro bono sessions for the training participants of our psycho-traumatology course who showed urgent need for support with their own trauma. The association also reached out to the corporate Kabir Group of Industries (KSRM) to offer the EMDR Low Intensity Training to twenty-four members of their senior staff. This was the first experience in Bangladesh where a corporate house and TR/HAP Bangladesh shared a common vision of the importance of mental health well-being for enhancing efficiency, reducing burn-out and enhancing the workplace environment. Last year in September, our young members in EMDR Bangladesh, participated in an international youth exchange program organized by the University of Dhaka and The Development Association for Empowering Workers (DAEW). EMDRBD with TR/HAP Bangladesh aims to take forward the vision of healing unhealed wounds of Bangladesh society with particular focus on the youth population by collaborating with national and international partners.”

Pakistan

During 2024-2025 Pakistan faces several natural and manmade disasters, from floods to a massive ongoing humanitarian crisis due to conflict. Since the beginning of the year, HAP/TR has responded by working with local teams on the ground to provide EMDR low intensity care to those affected. This project, led by Mohsin Azeem, President of EMDR Association of Pakistan, is conducted with the help of Roshni Helpline, the Neuropsychology and Psychosocial Trauma Therapy Unit, and the Department of Psychology at the University of Karachi, who are offering counseling services with the EMDR Self-Care protocol. Parallelly, there was a capacity-building initiative where eighty-three psychologists have completed their EMDR training in Karachi. These trainings were conducted by local trainers. EMDR Europe’s Gary Quinn provided online support and online supervisions in collaboration with EMDR Pakistan. To date, more than 900 people have received the EMDR Self-Care protocol.

Singapore

Linda Wan-koh, Vera Handojo, Chrystella Lo, and her Exco team reports, “EMDR Singapore celebrates a period of significant growth and professional development as it continues to enhance the capabilities of its practitioners in 2023 and 2024. With a strong commitment to advancing therapeutic standards, EMDR Singapore has embarked on several key initiatives that underscore its dedication to excellence in trauma therapy. A significant highlight of this period was the participation of 13 members at the 5th EMDR Asia Conference, held in Cambodia. This esteemed gathering provided an invaluable platform to engage with international experts, exchange insights, and contribute to the global discourse on trauma treatment methodologies.

In addition to international engagements, EMDR Singapore remains committed to providing top-tier training opportunities locally. In May 2023, Sigmund Burzynski, trainer with the EMDR Institute, conducted the EMDR Basic Training, as well as a separate 1-day training for our Consultants/Facilitators-in-Training here in Singapore. His unwavering dedication in supporting the growth of EMDR Singapore is deeply appreciated. In October 2023, the association hosted Roger Solomon, Senior Faculty with the EMDR Institute, for a Master class training, enriching participants with advanced skills essential for clients with more complex issues. The class provided glowing feedback at the end of his training! Further reinforcing its commitment to continuous learning, EMDR Singapore conducted a 1-day Orientation Training to update her members on the new protocols with Parul Tank in April 2024. Due to the popularity of this training, a second day of training had to be opened to accommodate the numbers! She also conducted Weekend 1 Basic Training which was completely filled. All these intensive trainings organized for the community reflect EMDR Singapore’s priority in equipping local practitioners with foundation and advanced techniques and insights into the latest developments in EMDR therapy, empowering practitioners to deliver superior care to clients.

EMDR Singapore is growing rapidly, as seen by the increase in the number of subcommittees working tirelessly behind the scenes. Subcommittees have been organized to look into: Membership, Community Development, Certification, Training Needs, and Trainers’ Pathway. EMDR Singapore currently has three Consultants/Facilitators-in-Training, undergoing the rigorous process of learning and being evaluated. Finally, November 2023 saw the resumption of the highly popular Peer Learning, aimed at fostering a collaborative environment where practitioners can exchange knowledge, refine their skills, and enhance their therapeutic effectiveness through mutual support and shared experiences. Since then, regular Peer Learnings have been planned for March 2024, June 2024, August 2024 and November 2024. For more information about EMDR Singapore and its initiatives, please visit https://emdr.sg

Sri Lanka

Navneth Mendis, reports, “The Sri Lanka EMDR Association (SEA) has consistently conducted the EMDR basic training annually. Our participant numbers have gradually increased with the average number of attendees being at around twenty participants per training. We have conducted three, in-person trainings since Covid and currently completed Weekend 1 of the basic training for the year 2024. We also had one of our local practitioners present a paper on, Cultural factors affecting the effectiveness of EMDR therapy in Sri Lanka for the first time at the 5th EMDR Asia conference. Given the vast political unrest and economic hardship faced by Sri Lanka recently, many have found it hard to get by daily. The HAP of SEA was able to meet the basic needs of a few communities in collaboration with the local divisional secretariats. This was done by supporting the livelihoods of seven families engaged in agriculture or livestock farming as their source of income.”

Vietnam

Parul Tank notes, “Dushyant Bhadlikar and Chintan Naik from India conducted the EMDR Basic Training and group consultation. Carol Martin personally visited Vietnam and encouraged the establishment of the formal EMDR Association.”

EMDR Australia

Logan Harvey notes that, “In May, the EMDR Association of Australia held our annual conference – and it was our biggest yet. We had three action-packed days together sharing knowledge and connecting with our colleagues. Straight after this, a large contingent of Australians made the trip to Dublin for the EMDR Europe conference. Although Australia is far away from most of the world, we are feeling more connected to our international community than ever before. The EMDR Association of Australia will also shortly host a professional development day focused on, Responding to Family Violence – a critical issue in our communities – and an area where we know EMDR can promote healing. Australia also has a growing EMDR research community. The team from the Hunter New England Drug & Alcohol Clinical Services team and I have just commenced recruitment for a feasibility and acceptability trial of EMDR in the treatment of comorbid PTSD and substance use disorder. PTSD is a significant treatment challenge for substance use treatment services, and EMDR has been underutilized in this area to date. The team hopes that this work will be the first step in getting EMDR recognized in clinical guidelines as an evidence-based treatment for comorbid PTSD and substance use disorder. This is one of many upcoming EMDR research projects being coordinated in Australia and we look forward to sharing these with the world.”

EMDR EUROPE

Belgium

Ludwig Cornil writes, “In September 2024, my training center INTEGRATIVA will organize the first 4-year training in EMDR-therapy in Belgium!!! I believe we could be the first in Europe to train people in EMDR-therapy for a total of 76 full days (around 500 contact hours) with mandatory EMDR-experience as a client. We will start with the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium. The group has been formed, so we can start after the summer. We have a total of about 25 teachers from different countries participating in the training. The crux of the training is the AIP-model and all teachers are either EMDR trainers, EMDR-supervisors or EMDR-practitioners with a specialization in a certain domain. At the moment the training is heavily supported by the Belgian Association which shares our viewpoint that you cannot talk about EMDR-therapy when you only teach about seven days and twenty hours of supervision (thirty in Belgium). We thought we need to take seriously Francine’s wish to make EMDR into a therapeutic modality with a transdiagnostic view on mental disease. Our website in Flemish: www.emdr-opleiding.be”

France

Juliane Tortes Saint Jammes notes “I am currently working on a way to focus on the stabilization phase, according to the ISTSS guidelines, for patients who have experienced repeated trauma and how to stabilize the patient using EMDR before confronting them with their childhood traumas. I am collaborating with Olivier Sorel, a PhD psychologist, and EMDR Europe supervisor. His work aims to create clinical materials to provide EMDR practitioners with tools that can help clinicians prepare or facilitate reprocessing, consolidate it, or help support its effects. The main objective remains reprocessing, and the tools provided are just one of many ways to access or enhance it. The two main tools developed were presented during the EMDR Europe Congresses in Valencia and then Bologna. The first tool is using superhero cards to access resources with children and adolescents. This occurs during the preparation phase and most often is addressing issues of self-esteem. We identify the objectives to work on like weaknesses or dysfunctional behavioral patterns and then we mobilize their resources. The child’s superhero card is both a tool for the therapeutic alliance and the structuring of the therapeutic or psychoeducational work as well as the activation of the patient’s internal resources. It is possible to work on dysfunctional behavioral patterns (positive future template) but also -and above all- on the resources acquired and those to be developed. The second tool is one to support C-PTSD patients by using a visualization of a villa (in fact, it is called VILLA) to help with history taking and creating a rigorous, more simple treatment plan. I’m also collaborating with Alix Lavandier who is treating Complex PTSD. For her doctoral work, she collected data about using EMDR with CPTSD concerning therapeutic alliance, psychological flexibility and time perspectives and hopes to get the study published. Each client received 24 weekly sessions and the results were significant starting in the 6th session. As part of her work as research coordinator in Hospital Center of Cadillac, she continues to support clinical research and specifically on integrative therapy such as EMDR.”

Germany

Arne Hofmann reports, “The application of EMDRIA Germany to the Scientific Advisory Board (WBP) of our insurances for the recognition of EMDR in the Psychotherapy for Children and Adolescents has been submitted (German law has a separate child and adolescent therapy profession). In October 2024, the scientific advisory board for psychotherapy (WBP) will discuss this with our representatives. We hope that this will also lead to EMDR being anchored in the treatment for children and adolescents.

EMDR training is going well, there are currently 23 EMDR trainers recognized by EMDR Europe (including child and adolescent trainers). A particular focus of EMDR specialty seminars and some qualified clinical centers is the treatment of patients with severe depression. Two doctoral theses are currently being written in cooperation with two German university centers. Another research center that also conducts research on EMDR therapy is the Center for Pain Therapy at the at the University of Heidelberg. This is a center which was founded by Professor Günter Seidler and Professor Wolfgang Eich and is currently headed by Professor Jonas Tesarz. In cooperation with EMDRIA Deutschland and the EMDR Institute Germany, another doctoral thesis is currently underway focusing on EMDR in pain therapy (with a particular emphasis on looking for factors that differentiate between responders and non-responders).

Following an intensive discussion in the media in the recent months on the validity of the diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder (DID) and the validity of memories of childhood sexual abuse, Fifteen German Scientific Societies from the field of psychotherapy with over 70,000 members, and with the active participation of EMDRIA Deutschland, have published a statement confirming the validity of the diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder and calling for a more accurate look at and more thorough discussions about the memories of childhood sexual abuse.”

Maria Lehnung noted that, “I am leading the EMDR Institute here in Germany. What I can see is that there are many colleagues -also many young ones- who are just starting their careers and they are very interested in learning EMDR. And this, I think is a very good sign.”

Jonas Tesarz says, “Dr. Sebastian Wieland, basic scientist and EMDR therapist, is currently running several basic science projects on EMDR.

• Project 1: Brain mapping of bilateral stimulation (BLS) -induced fear reduction in mice:
  A whole-brain mapping study in an EMDR mouse model investigating immediate and delayed EMDR effects throughout the mouse brain. This study will provide the first comprehensive overview of which brain regions are involved in the EMDR technique (= in animals in the sense of fear deconditioning through eye movements applied in the dual focus of attention)
• Project 2: Multimodal EMDR in mice:
  A novel EMDR-like mouse model allows for multimodal BLS-stimulation in a head-fixed configuration. The project aims to investigate both circuit plasticity upon BLS stimulation and to improve our understanding of multimodality of BLS stimuli. The aim of this project is to identify the neural circuits causally involved in EMDR and to explore how the effect of BLS can be improved (e.g., by combining visual BLS with auditory or tactile BLS, or by modifying speed of BLS.”

Israel

Regina Morrow Robinson and Elan Shapiro reporting for the Traumatic Episode Protocol International Network (TEP-IN) tell us: “We are hosting this forum to support a place for our network to gather to discuss advances and research related to the EMDR TEP protocols. Therapists, researchers, trainers and other interested parties join to share the latest research and insights from the field. It is a supportive and encouraging think tank of sorts. We consider the challenges of our work and ways to move past them. Shortly after COVID gifted us with Zoom meetings, our trainers, researchers from around the world and us, began meeting monthly. While we now meet quarterly, these meetings have expanded to include EMDR therapists trained in TEP protocols, as well as researchers and interested parties from around the world. Topics vary depending on the events in the world and active research that we are responding to; war, illness, children, earthquakes, fires, low intensity response, refugees, first responders, rapid response, compassion fatigue, wait list application of G-TEP, sexual assault, psychosis, and standards for training, etc.

In 2008 Elan Shapiro and Brurit Laub first published Recent Traumatic Episode Protocol (R-TEP). Together, they worked tirelessly to evolve R-TEP into a simple yet flexible protocol with high standards of training and consultation. Over time, this protocol became an inspiration for additional protocols including Group Traumatic Episode Protocol (G-TEP) created by Elan Shapiro. Today there is a full TEP Suite of protocols:

• Group Resource Enhancement Protocol (G-REP) by Elan Shapiro and Maria Masciandaro;
• Child Group Traumatic Episode Protocol (C-GTEP) by Ana Gomez;
• Group Parent Empowerment Protocol (G-PEP) by Ana Gomez;
• Flash-TEP by Elan Shapiro and Dr. Phil Manfield;
• The Self-Care Traumatic Episode Protocol (STEP) by Dr. Judy Moench;
• Everyone OK by Dr. Elke van Hoof;
• Expanded Traumatic Episode Protocol (E-TEP) by Brurit Laub;

and more are under consideration. The TEP protocols were developed for early intervention application. Today, we recognize that these protocols have a much wider application to events that are older than 90 days. Programs are being designed combining TEP protocols and other therapeutic components.

EMDR Europe’s 25th anniversary celebration in Dublin Ireland recognized Elan Shapiro by awarding him EMDR Trauma AID’s Humanitarian Award for his efforts to promote early intervention, his generous giving of his creative talents, unrelenting desire to promote EMDR, time and encouragement to therapists and researchers from around the world. He has made a significant impact globally.

We welcome therapists, researchers, trainers, facilitators, graduates of training and others interested in our efforts to promote innovative application of EMDR and derived techniques which are TEP (Traumatic Episode Protocol) related. If you wish to join us and/or add colleagues who are also interested in the TEP suite protocols, please email Reg (rdmorrow17@gmail.com) directly to be added to the mailing list.”

Italy

Michela Monfredo reports about the work of the EMDR Italy Association, “We have done 94 emergency interventions in Italy and we have helped more than 10,000 people. This includes responses to the following: 24 suicides, including 15 minors; as well as a number of deaths from various causes that mainly occur in school settings, such as 3 bullying/abuse incidents, 5 family violence cases, 20 instances of accidents, and/or fires, etc. We also provided support in Pisa where a psychiatrist in the hospital was murdered by a former patient and twelve people had to be supported, including her children, employees of the psychiatry department and work teams. Most of the interventions were aimed at situations involving the death of children by suicide, accident and/or illness. In these cases, the interventions were focused on working with classmates, teachers and parents; they were given guidelines for managing the stress reactions of their children who had experienced these bereavements at a very vulnerable age. As we have seen in previous years, there were requests for interventions when children had been exposed to the grief of teachers or parents after they had experienced traumatic loss of colleagues in the workplace. There were 10 interventions due to weather and natural events. We also worked with Ukrainian refugees and gave trainings teaching emergency EMDR protocols and assisting in the supervision of clinical work for psychologists and psychotherapists from EMDR Ukraine and Palestine.

EMDR therapy is growing as a resource in hospitals. We are doing research on the use of the EMDR approach for the treatment of various pathologies that impact patients in a traumatic way. In my working environment, in the Public Health Service (Piacenza AUSL) EMDR is used in most services: mental health and pathological addictions, the hematology oncology department, otorhinolaryngology, child protection, neuropsychiatry, neurorehabilitation, mental health services, eating disorders and Prevention and Protection Service (SPP) for identifying risk factors and responsible for implementing measures for the safety of workers in the health company, including psychological safety. In 2017, we were only four to five EMDR-trained psychologists in the Public Health Service and, now, in 2024, we have twenty-seven EMDR-trained therapists.

All EMDR-trained professionals in the association meet for updates and share clinical cases such as monthly meetings with trainers and senior supervisors; discussions about clinical cases, sharing methods and tools, including how to use EMDR in complex cases that can include working with dissociation/and parts and how to work in different contexts. We also organize courses on how to do EMDR implementation projects in various services including research. The EMDR Italy Association supports research and has awarded funding for 10 innovative projects including: the neurobiology of the effect of EMDR therapy on decision-making processes in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder; the effect of traumatic stress on caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders; using Jarero’s EMDR Integrative Group Therapy Protocol (IGTP) for continuing traumatic stress for caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders and a pilot study concerning the efficacy of EMDR therapy applied to borderline personality disorder, in a single-blind randomized controlled trial in real treatment settings.”

Marco Pagani wrote, “My group and I have recently published these four papers:

• Malandrone F, Catrambone V, Carletto S, Rossini PG, Coletti Moja M, Oliva F, Pagani M, Valenza G, Ostacoli L. (2024, April). Restoring bottom-up communication in brain-heart interplay after trauma-focused psychotherapy in breast cancer patients with post-traumatic stress disorder. J Affect Disord. 15; 351:143-150. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.01.172. Epub 2024 Jan 27. PMID: 38281599.
• Belvedere C, Fabbrini P, Alberghini E, Ghedini SA, Fernandez I, Maslovaric G, Pagani M, Gallina E. (2023, May). Intervention with EMDR on a sample of healthcare workers in the nephrology and dialysis service during the COVID-19 emergency: from immediate treatment effect to long-term maintenance. Front Psychol. 9;14:1120203. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1120203. PMID: 37228335; PMCID: PMC10203158.
• Grifoni, J.; Pagani, M., Persichilli, G., Bertoli, M., Bevacqua, M.G., L’Abbate, T., Flamini, I., Brancucci, A., Cerniglia, L., Paulon, L., et al. (2023) Auditory Personalization of EMDR Treatment to Relieve Trauma Effects: A Feasibility Study [EMDR+]. Brain Sci., 13, 1050. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13071050
• Mattera A, Cavallo A, Granato G,Baldassarre G and Pagani M (2022) A Biologically Inspired Neural Network Model to Gain Insight Into the Mechanisms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy. Front. Psychol. 13:944838. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.944838

Spain

Maria Cervera reports, “Recently, I presented at an association called Fundación ACOMPAÑA that has members all over Mexico. This group gives support after critical incidents to the caregivers of those who are bereaved. My presentation was on, Defusing and EMDR; and I spoke about how these interventions have helped me and my network of trained emergency personnel and volunteers take care of themselves in difficult times. Here is information concerning ACOMPAÑA.Org”

Natalia Seijo writes in, “I recently became a trainer and have presented on several topics related to EMDR across various countries. My workshops included, Treating Eating Disorders with EMDR Therapy, presented at Vicenza Hospital in Italy, the EMDR Associations of Belgium, Poland, Portugal, the EMDR Institute in Spain, and the IFEMDR in Paris. I also presented Dissociation as the Key to the Treatment of Severe Eating Disorders, at the Mark Nickerson Institute’s NJ Symposium. Additionally, I conducted workshops on Conceptualizing Complex Dissociative Cases, in Costa Rica and Canada. In Paris, at the IFEMDR, I led workshops on Histrionic Personality Disorder and Dissociation, and, Somatoform and Somatic Dissociation. Furthermore, I presented on “The Somatic Footprint of Trauma” at the Asia EMDR Conferences in Cambodia. Currently, I am writing a book on psychosomatic and autoimmune system diseases.”

The Netherlands

Ad de Jongh writes in that, “In the Netherlands, a series of large and potentially impactful randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are currently underway, which could significantly enhance the recognition and dissemination of EMDR therapy. I am excited to highlight two of these trials for our readers: The first is the REPROCESS study, a major RCT following the T-TIP study, which investigated the effectiveness of EMDR therapy in individuals with schizophrenia or psychosis who also had comorbid PTSD. The T-TIP study found substantial effects in just eight therapy sessions compared to treatment as usual. An article published in the prestigious JAMA Psychiatry in 2015 led to revisions in international guidelines for treating psychosis. It is now globally recommended to treat PTSD first in individuals with both psychosis and PTSD. Interestingly, despite participants not receiving any emotion regulation training or other forms of stabilization (and without installing a ‘safe place’ in EMDR), the treatment was deemed safe. There was one serious adverse event (a suicide attempt) in the EMDR group, but there were four in the treatment as usual group. This suggests that trauma-focused treatment is preferable for this population. Another significant finding was that the severity of psychosis was halved, with all results remaining stable after one year. These positive outcomes prompted the launch of the REPROCESS study, which compares the effectiveness of 16 sessions of EMDR therapy with the leading other therapies in this field: prolonged exposure and cognitive restructuring. This four-arm study also includes a treatment as usual comparison condition. All patients have now been included, and the results are currently being analyzed.

• Burger, S.R., van der Linden, T., Hardy, A., de Bont, P.A.J., van der Vleugel, B., Staring, A.B.P., de Roos, C., van Zelst, C., Gottlieb, J.D., Mueser, K., van Minnen, A., De Jongh, A., Marcelis, M., van der Gaag, M., van den Berg, D. (2022). Trauma-focused therapies for post-traumatic stress in psychosis: study protocol for the RE.PROCESS randomized controlled trial. Trials, 23:851. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-022-06808-6

Another randomized controlled trial, which also concluded its patient inclusion in June this year, is the TEMPO study. This trial examines the effectiveness of EMDR therapy in personality disorders. In this study, 150 individuals received 10 sessions of EMDR therapy over five weeks. A few years ago, a successful study was conducted on individuals with various types of personality disorders without PTSD. Participants in the EMDR therapy condition underwent five weekly sessions, and the positive results were compared to treatment as usual. In the current TEMPO trial, now in its fourth year, participants received twice the number of sessions. Interestingly, this study assesses whether a personality disorder can still be diagnosed one year after the treatment concludes. This aspect is unique in research on treating personality disorders. As the data collection for this trial is now complete, we eagerly await the results, which we anticipate will be spectacular.

Hofman, S., Hafkemeijer, L. De Jongh, A., Starrenburg, A. & Slotema, K. (2022). Trauma-focused EMDR for personality disorders among outpatients (TEMPO): Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. 23:196. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-022-06082-6

Suzy Matthijssen notes, “These are the four recently published articles (one about intensive treatment, one about a fully remote intensive treatment, and one RCT) that I have published as lead author except the last article:

• The effects of an intensive outpatient treatment for PTSD (tandfonline.com)
• Frontiers | Case report: Intensive online trauma treatment combining prolonged exposure and EMDR 2.0 in a patient with severe and chronic PTSD (frontiersin.org)
• Frontiers | Visual Schema Displacement Therapy versus Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy versus waitlist in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder: results of a randomized clinical trial (frontiersin.org)
• Frontiers | The effectiveness, efficiency, and acceptability of EMDR vs. EMDR 2.0 vs. the Flash technique in the treatment of patients with PTSD: study protocol for the ENHANCE randomized controlled trial (frontiersin.org). This is the protocol paper for the EMDR 2.0 vs EMDR vs FLASH trial.

I am currently running a large RCT where EMDR (Shapiro protocol) is compared with EMDR 2.0 and FLASH.

Ytje van Pelt reports, “We’re excited to share an update on our latest research project, which is a collaborative effort involving five institutions and three universities, including Amsterdam UMC, University of Groningen, and Erasmus University. This study, named the FLIP-IT study (First-line intervention for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Intensive Treatment), is a groundbreaking initiative to explore new ways to treat PTSD. The key idea behind our research is to see if an intensive form of trauma-focused therapy (I-TFT) can be just as effective, but more efficient and cost-effective, than the traditional weekly sessions of trauma-focused therapy (S-TFT) currently recommended as a third-line treatment. Our team believes that offering I-TFT as a first-line treatment could significantly improve recovery times and reduce costs. To test this, we’re running a randomized controlled trial where participants are divided into two groups. One group receives the intensive therapy, which includes a series of treatment sessions concentrated over a short period. The other group follows the standard weekly treatment schedule. Both approaches aim to help individuals who have PTSD from multiple traumatic events. We’re particularly focused on adults who have been diagnosed with PTSD, have not received extensive prior treatment, and are either working or on sick leave. By comparing the outcomes of these two groups, we hope to demonstrate that the intensive therapy is not only effective but also more economical in the long run. We’re measuring success through several parameters, including the severity of PTSD symptoms and the overall quality of life improvements. We’re also looking at the broader societal costs and benefits. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue this important research!”

Turkey

Emre Konuk says, “EMDR Turkey has 3000 members. We have trained Turkish therapists in different parts of the world. In Part 1 of a new project, we have been working with therapists in other countries as well. We will work with therapists teaching them Brief Therapies such as EMDR, CBT, Family Therapy, and Solution Focused Therapy; this is because they are easy to teach and learn and in the short term they get results. Also, they are funded by insurance companies. This is the therapy part. We give trainings in our Institute and have 5-6 trainers who can work anywhere.

In Turkey, there are 1000 municipalities; Istanbul, itself, has 39 municipalities or cities. This means that the municipalities belong to political parties so they are in close contact with the people and they are the service givers of the political parties. They do the training so the municipalities can get funded. Every municipality has private schools. So, schools can be an object of focus. Our objectives are how to work with their problems, help them with their relationships and work with management; we also include working with families. We can provide mental health support in schools. We start by working with the teachers and teach them how to teach and then encourage them to go out to work with the municipalities, schools, families, and other teachers. MH service is not under the jurisdiction of insurance companies but we work together with them.

We have also turned our sights to the business world. When there is a company with 100,000 employees, it means there are at least 25,000 families and maybe 20,000 kids with whom we can work in supporting their mental health. Statistically, ten per cent will have excellent ability and intelligence and when we screen for them, we can focus on these people to become leaders. Look at history over 1000 years; the people who contribute the most are artists, and those with high abilities. US and Europe know how to select them. Other countries don’t do this and leave, wasting valuable potential. We are remedying that.”

Asena Yurtsever states, “My trainee, Zeynep Ozmeydan, and I have been working on an Obsessive-Disorder Protocol for five years. Zeynep is an expert in OCD and I have helped her to use this knowledge to create an EMDR OCD protocol. First, we showed the correlation between types of trauma, and OCD, symptom by symptom, helping to dispel the antiquated notion that OCD has nothing to do with trauma. Secondly, we conducted a study with an N=80, to look at the effectiveness of our protocol; we had excellent results and are in the process of writing it up.”

United Kingdom

Susan Darker Smith reports, I have been assisting with the Hybrid Training for EMDR All Ireland, delivering the child & young person’s part of this training for Ireland, which concludes in July 2024 with 3 days of child-specific EMDR training. In July, I had the honor of presenting two days on the Integration of EMDR with Neurodiversity (including ADHD and Autism) for the EMDR National Association of Japan. This will be presented in Japanese and I am extremely excited to be able to share my experiences and expertise with Japan. I will repeat this in November for EMDR Brazil and the delightful Ana Lúcia Castello. In August, I was delighted to be accepted to speak on Delivering EMDR for Survivors of Grooming and Sexual Exploitation, at the Trauma Recovery/HAP Conference in Philadelphia. It is such an important topic as the statistics are indicating a rise in sexual exploitation and trafficking around the world. I’m repeating this presentation for the IVAT conference a few days later, in San Diego. Back in the UK, I am presenting two pro bono trainings for the Trauma Response Network UK on EMDR & Ringfencing and EMDR Formulation for Complex Cases in September and November. These trainings are completely free for TRN UK members – who give their time freely to deliver EMDR to anyone residing in the UK who has experienced mass trauma. I’m honored to a be a part of their team. I am in discussion with EMDR Advanced Trainings to deliver a full day on narratives / story-telling online across the age span for them – which is an area of EMDR I am hugely excited about! This is penciled in provisionally for November or December 2024. I truly believe that whatever we do in this world makes a difference. And that’s why I’m very proud to be a Europe Accredited EMDR Child & Adolescent Trainer. Because, when we stand together as one EMDR community – we don’t just make a difference: we help to create miracles. And I am honored to be a part of that.”

EMDR MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA/ARABIC COUNTRIES

Algeria

Mohamed Chakali reports, “In Algeria, EMDR has been present since 2003 and several dozen practitioners have been trained in the working language which is French. The EMDR Algeria association was created in 2018.”

Syria

Walid Abdul-Hamid notes that the project that he designed to assess the effectiveness of online EMDR therapy with female Syrian refugees when he was a Trauma AID UK (TAUK) trustee and funded by TAUK is now published:

• Hamid, A., de C. Williams, A. C., Albakri, M., Scior, K., Morgan, S., Kayal, H., Wilcockson, M., Alkaja, R. D., Alsayed, S., Logie, R., Farrand, S., & Abdul-Hamid, W. (2024). Mental health and conflict: A pilot of an online eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) intervention for forcibly displaced Syrian women. Frontiers in Public Health, 12:1295033. Open access: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1295033

Currently, he is the head of the research section at MENA/AC and will continue to work on this project.”

EMDR NEW ZEALAND

Patrice Bourke notes: “Additional exciting news is that EMDRNZ also accredited Allistair Bush as our first NZ Child Trainer, and we thank Carlijn de Roos and Renee Beer for their support of Allister.”

Tal Moore writes in that “Tom Flewett and I were invited to co-guest edit the first 2024 issue of the NZ College of Clinical Psychologists Journal – special edition dedicated to EMDR Therapy. We had so many lovely contributions, the link to the edition is below.

• Vol. 34, Issue 1, 2024 | Published by Journal of the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists (scholasticahq.com)

Second, the international TEP group invited NZ to showcase our local work for the May 2024 meeting. This was the post-meeting summary email from Reg Morrow: New Zealand provided a powerful and inspiring program. We wish to extend our gratitude to Astrid Katzur for organizing this program of rich talent and enthusiasm. Dr. Tom Flewett of Otago University shared his post graduate certificate program which includes EMDR, R-TEP and G-TEP for adults and children. Ceit Robinson and Emma Sanderson presented their program Sexual Violence Survivors (SVS) Group Protocol. Ananda Sleemen and Nishta Saini presented a different group for sexual assault survivors. Dr Chris Neuenfeldt shared the progress of Trauma Aid NZ and recent cutting-edge work within an under resourced school utilizing Ana Gomez’s Butterfly Hug based on G-TEP. Annabel Ramsey and Octavia Wilson presented Restore EMDR Group therapy utilizing G-TEP. Eleanor Baggot presented an innovative R-TEP approach to working with young adults who have just had their first psychotic break. The two hours moved very quickly. The presenters were very thoughtful in their preparation of the programs.”

EMDR SOUTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA

EMDR Latin America and Caribbean Alliance (ALAC)

Nicolás Rodriguez del Real reports, “During the first semester of 2024, ALAC has developed a number of continuing education and trainings. We organized a free online Seminar Early Trauma and EMDR. In this seminar, 2 topics were presented: Treatment of Early Trauma with EMDR and EMDR Therapy and Pre and Perinatal Trauma. More than 75 people participated in this activity. The National Organizations have offered very interesting workshops. To name a few: EMDR Ibero-america Argentina offered workshops with international speakers such as Anabel Gonzalez (Spain) and Frances Water (USA) and national speakers such as Susana Balsamo and Adrian Cillo. EMDR Chile offered workshops with international speakers such as Arun Mansukani (Spain) and national speakers such as Paz Gómez, Claudia Romero and Constanza Fernández. EMDR Mexico has had international speakers such as Paula Moreno (Argentina) and national speakers such as Amalia Osorio, Susana Uribe, Lucina Artigas and Ignacio Jarero. Finally, EMDR Uruguay has organized two continuing education workshops with national speakers, Magdalena García Trovero and Melisa Carballo Senando. Considering all the National Organizations, more than 10 basic EMDR therapy trainings have been carried out.

ALAC has been present in different national and international conferences and congresses held in our region. To name a few, EMDR Uruguay gave a poster presentation at the 26th World Congress of IACAPAP 2024, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It also presented a lecture at the XI Uruguayan Congress of Psychiatry. Also, EMDR Ibero-america Argentina presented two lectures at the Argentine Congress of Psychiatry and participated in a university seminar, as well. ALAC continues with its commitment to spread the EMDR therapy model. In October 2024, EMDR Chile will present three lectures at the VIII International Conference on Psychic Trauma of the Chilean Association of Traumatic Stress. Finally, between November 14 and 16, 2024, ALAC will celebrate its First Congress of Psychodrama and EMDR Therapy, which will be held in Mexico City and can be accessible both in person and online. More information at https://www.congresoemdr.org/”

Brazil

Andre Monteiro writes, “On September 21, 2024, EMDR Brasil is planning to have a workshop on case conceptualization, with EMDR trainer of trainers Susana Bálsamo, and EMDR trainer Adrian Cillo, the current president of EMDR Argentina. This is part of a wider project to strengthen an exchange among ALAC National Associations.”

Mexico

Maria Cervera notes, “Recently, I gave a talk on the importance of Defusing and EMDR Therapy to a group all over Mexico who deals with bereavement and critical situations. Most of the participants were interested in knowing more about EMDR.”

NORTH AMERICA

UNITED STATES

Arizona

Carol Settle notes, “Robbie Adler-Tapia and I have published our 3rd edition of, EMDR and the Art of Psychotherapy with Children: Guidebook and Treatment Manual, Springer Publishing, 2024. Our original book and treatment manual have been combined into one text including three new chapters on; addictions, diversity and telehealth. Robbie and I also co-authored a chapter for the Oxford Handbook of EMDR Therapy called, EMDR Therapy with Children to be published in 2024. Additionally, I have co-authored a chapter in the book, Evidence-Based Treatments for Trauma Related Disorders in Children and Adolescents, 2nd ed, called “Eye Movement Desensitization Therapy (EMDR) with Children and Adolescents,” along with Debra Wesselmann, Lisabeth Mevissen, & Francine Shapiro. And, I’m thrilled about my upcoming EMDRIA approved, 6-week on-demand course titled. EMDR with Kids produced by the EMDR Institute, in collaboration with Psychwire Co. There are over 20 videos showcasing children and adolescents and this course demonstrates innovative applications of EMDR therapy and essential resourcing techniques. What makes this course particularly exciting is its inclusion of original videos by Francine Shapiro teaching EMDR therapy and the AIP model alongside insights from leading experts in the field of EMDR therapy for young people.”

California

Sara Gilman writes in, “Recently I presented a course at MIT called: MIT Advanced Business Resiliency Course This is my 3rd year of being invited back to share this information with MIT students worldwide.”

Marilyn Luber reports, “It is with great sadness that I am letting you all know that my dear friend and our colleague, Jennifer Lendl, has left us. She leaves us with the legacy of her wonderful creativity, intelligence and love for us all and EMDR therapy. All of us who knew her, will remember her: and those of you who do not, I hope that you discover her work, especially on performance enhancement and EMDR. To read more about her life contributions, please access

Florida

Regina Morrow Robinson notes, “EMDR Group therapy is expanding the reach of EMDR while growing connection with others. EMDR Group protocols and programs with EMDR Group protocols embedded are striving to meet the mental health needs around the globe. It is being applied in many types of situations and settings. Recent research is supporting the efficacy to address the demands of long wait lists. Group members may not even be working on the same event or issue. Safa Kemal Kaptan and I edited, EMDR Group Therapy: Emerging Principles and Protocols to Treat Trauma and Beyond. Springer Publishing released it in November 2023. At both the EMDRIA Summit and EMDR Europe Dublin Conference, copies sold out! Work is beginning on translations. We are interested in your thoughts. Please leave us a review. Also, I am providing a training, All About Group EMDR. This course is designed to compare the established group protocols, to assist in designing a group program to fit the needs of a variety of settings and presenting issues. I continue to provide EMDR Training both virtually and in person as well as R-TEP and G-TEP trainings. To support the growth of newly developing therapists, I offer a no fee EMDR Early Intervention study group once a month, the second Tuesday of the month from 12-1:30 pm ET US. These are offered through Connect EMDR Training and Consulting. Finally, Elan Shapiro and I co-host, the Traumatic Episode Protocol International Network (TEP-IN).”

Illinois

Howard Lipke reports, “I have two psychology things to share. One is a paper published in the ISTSS Moral Injury Sig newsletter. It is on my HowardLipke.com website.

https://howardlipke.com/too-many-moral-injuries-a-reconsideration-of-mi/ (Lipke, H (June, 2023). Too Many Moral Injuries. Moral Injury Special Interest Group Newsletter, 5(1), 10 – 19.) In the paper, I make it clear that the Litz group, when they introduce their version of MI and treatment, ignored previous work on moral transgression as well as EMDR and other treatment. These are a serious flaws (ignored by reviewers and their general audience) in their attempt to represent their work as a clinical or theoretical advancement. Also, I have just published a book for kids (and I hope adults): No Applesplatter: Short stories about thinking, (Lipke, H. (2024). No Applesplatter: Short stories about thinking, Streetlight Graphics).

New York

Carol Forgash, “After forty plus years as a therapist/consultant/ author and educator, I’m still working with patients and consultees, but I have, for now, stepped back from lecturing at conferences and presenting workshops. Since the pandemic, I have not resumed plane travel and I don’t have the energy to give long presentations on Zoom. Aging happens whether we like it or not, and if the therapist isn’t realistic, that’s a problem. Additionally, my voice gives out quickly…so I can’t be my scintillating, dynamic self (HA) any longer. Your voice is an instrument that amplifies the strength of your personality and gives meaning to your words. If it’s diminished, the presentation will be lacking. I’ve loved this part of my professional life for many reasons. It’s been extraordinarily fulfilling. I’ve so enjoyed teaching therapists who want to learn and I’m eager to share what I’m passionate about with them. After I completed my EMDR Training, I found that two particular subjects intrigued me. The EMDR Treatment of Complex Trauma and Dissociation, and how to improve health with EMDR therapy, were not being taught; so, I developed curricula, and began presenting at the EMDRIA conferences and other workshops. In addition, I discovered that there are many perks in being an educator: world travel, being hosted by my colleagues in fabulous places, making wonderful friends, learning about many cultures and about EMDR practice around the world. It has been astonishing and enriching. I’m still regretfully turning down invitations; to make videos, and to speak at international conferences. It’s bittersweet, but I’m not complaining. Being part of a learning community and connecting with people from everywhere expands one’s life force. I’ve had a wonderful career and have had a remarkable opportunity to pay it forward. I’ve been able to provide workshops in countries through EMDR HAP to therapists who might not afford to get this education otherwise. Of course, one needs to have up to date information to present, so I was always adding layers to my own education. I never presented the ‘same’ workshop twice. Always adding and expanding my knowledge base. It’s been hard work, but it gave me the opportunity to co-author a book, and to be invited to contribute chapters in other EMDR books. I mention this because I want you to be aware that these opportunities to develop workshops and provide trainings are available to all of you. It became a way to build a legacy and to have adventures I’d never have otherwise. In India, for example, I was doing a workshop for EMDR Asia and a psychology professor at a woman’s university in Mumbai asked if my husband and I would talk with her students about clinical social work and trauma therapy with EMDR. We went to their class and spoke with these enthusiastic young women about the difference they could make in people’s lives. They were so enthusiastic and I was delighted to get messages from them saying that hearing about our careers motivated them to learn more about EMDR.”

Pennsylvania

Marilyn Luber says, “I am honored to report that I am the very proud recipient of the Special Award for the 25th Anniversary of EMDR Europe for Outstanding Contribution to EMDR Therapy in Europe. I was surprised and profoundly touched to receive this award from the EMDR Europe Association at its conference in Dublin this summer. I have been involved in this great regional association since its beginning. Again, this summer, I was surprised and honored to receive a second award from the Traumatic Recovery: EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Programs, International World Changer: Marilyn Luber, Honoring a volunteer who has made a significant global impact at their conference in Philadelphia. This is another association with which I have been involved from its beginning.”

Washington

Sandra Paulsen writes, “I just published, The Beauty and Burden of Autism: An Illustrated Guide and Workbook, in two versions, full color for therapy offices and same book in black and white, that is more affordable for the masses. I’m about to publish a book for dominant culture therapists working with indigenous clients, called, Indigenous Trauma and Dissociation: Healers, Psychotherapies, and the Drum, with Shelley Spear Chief, a plains traditionalist. Moses Spear Chief, Blackfoot elder, formally gifted me a Blackfoot name, Ikiinapakii, which means kind generous woman. A few months ago I published, We’re Listening Body, Integrating EMDR, Somatic and Ego State Therapies with Derrick Doige. It’s a verbatim transcript of a three -day intensive treatment. In the last couple years, I taught live audiences in Japan, Australia, the UK, and Greece, and lots of online workshops for sfrankelgroup.com, PESI, and Feelink.com, the latter being a Mexican company. My work these days is two-pronged, emphasizing both autism and also what I call Neuroaffective Embodied Self Therapy (N.E.S.T.), which is a systematic approach to the integration of affective regulation strategies (Neuroaffective), somatic therapy (Embodiment), ego state therapy (Self System) and Temporal Integration (working in implicit memory within the eight phases of EMDR), all consistent with AIP theory. I’ll be teaching N.E.S.T. live in Canada in November, presenting on the EMDR Early Trauma approach at the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. That will emphasize ego state maneuvers and imagination in the context of hypnosis. I’ve been collaborating with Retired Lieutenant Kenneth Gardner, MS (Lt Ken Gardner was head of Detroit homicide task force and homicide detective 19 years), on reducing criminal recidivism with EMDR. He’s now a Michigan Masters level psychologist and EMDR Therapist, and we’re presenting at EMDRIA. Next March, I’ll be keynoting at a therapists’ retreat in Bali, on therapy integration. I’ve done a great many podcasts to get the word out there. I’m doing only intensives, usually in the three-day format, for almost 15 years now, in my office in the forest on Bainbridge Island.”

RELATED EMDR TRAUMA AID/HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

EMDR Asia

Parul Tank reports, “EMDR Asia was established in 2008. The history of EMDR therapy in Asia began with the natural disasters, starting with the devastating floods in Bangladesh during 1998 and the earthquakes in India in 2001. This was followed by the tsunami in 2004-2005, which struck India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the earthquake in Pakistan in 2006, and the earthquake in Sichuan in 2011. The list continues with the tsunami in Japan in 2011 and floods in Kashmir in 2014, the earthquake in Nepal in 2015, devastating floods in 2017 Kerala and terror attacks in Sri Lanka in 2019. These are among the other humanitarian crises in which EMDR treatment was provided to survivors by the volunteers of EMDR community in Asia. In a unique way. the development of EMDR also happened through EMDR Basic training for the local mental health professionals who were dealing with these catastrophes. There was no formal establishment of a body known as the Trauma Recovery Network. Instead, an informal network was formed of EMDR trained volunteers. Drawing inspiration from Trauma Aid Germany and Trauma Recovery/HAP –USA, the formation of TR/HAP in Asia began. The role of this organization is to collaborate with various countries especially for disaster response. In 2019, Carol Martin arrived in Mumbai to attend the EMDR Asia meeting with our Board members where she taught us how to start a Trauma Recovery Network (TRN) in Asia in collaboration with TR/HAP of USA. We have developed the blue print of Trauma Recovery/HAP for Asia and are still in the process of rolling out the formal structure. Each of our EMDR Asia members initiate the unified disaster response with their team and volunteers. During COVID-19 in April 2020, we all came together to learn Gary Quinn’s Self Care Protocol for the Coronavirus (CRP-C). The volunteers received the training and in mass scale the intervention was provided to the infected and affected population suffering from COVID infection. Currently, Mrinalini Purandare is in charge of TR/HAP Asia.

EMDR Latin America and Caribbean Alliance (ALAC)

Ignacio Jarero reports “Regarding the EMDR Mexico ASSYST HEART Humanitarian project, as of June 2024, over 10,000 Specialized Mental Health Providers from 27 countries have been trained pro-bono. The countries are Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, Turkey, Syria, Bulgaria, Iran, South Sudan, Peru, the USA, Poland, Armenia, Ethiopia, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Canada/Labrador, Chile, Spain, Colombia, Iceland, and Brazil. If you want to know more about this project, please visit https://www.emdrmexico.org/assyst-heart

The EMDR Mexico research team is conducting a field trial on the ASSYST for Group treatment intervention for adult refugees and asylum seekers from Central and South America arriving at the biggest refugee shelter in Mexico City. The study will provide critical information about the early intervention treatment for this population. To know more about the ASSYST treatment interventions please visit https://tinyurl.com/28l3lyoa

Trauma AID-Germany

Frank Hofmann and Mirjam Goihl report that in June 2024, the TraumaAid Germany volunteers went back to Erbil, Kurdistan. Michael Hase and Adrian Hase were also involved. The last Trauma Psycho Social Support Plus® (TPSS+) course has finalized our work on trauma which started in 2017. We now have one Supervisor and two responsible lecturers for this region. The entire group of well-educated and motivated counsellors was constantly working and learning with us to adapt the concept to the Iraqi context – despite their difficult circumstances of living!! We, are convinced they will be helpful in contributing to better mental health conditions in the future. Also, there was a refresher training in EMDR therapy led by Derek Farrell in Erbil / Kurdistan: TraumaAid Germany is extremely happy to have this opportunity to continue the training program we started years ago. There are now seventeen EMDR therapists ready for a five-day consultancy training. The participants deserve a great deal of credit as they are confronted on a daily basis with traumatized clients of all ages who have ongoing and severe trauma. Kurdistan in northern Iraq is not a country free of crises, yet – and, understandably – it is not currently at the center of public and donor attention. We owe these trainings to the commitment of our donors.”

Trauma AID-Turkey

Selina Bal writes in, “The President of EMDR HAP in Turkey since 2021 is Hayal Demirci.

In the last 5 years, the name of our association HAP has changed to TIG. TIG is the Turkish abbreviation of Trauma Recovery Group. As EMDR-TİG, our biggest project was the support work after the Kahramanmaraş Earthquake. We supported more than 8,200 people in approximately 6 months.”