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EMDR (eye movement desensitization)
1989· Therapy or method
Mixed evidenceSome support; effects smaller or less consistent than once thought.
A trauma therapy in which patients recall a distressing memory while following the therapist's moving finger or other side-to-side cues.
See it on the Psychology map →What it says
American psychologist Francine Shapiro said that on a 1987 walk she noticed moving her eyes quickly seemed to ease disturbing thoughts; she published the method in 1989. In EMDR the patient briefly holds a trauma memory in mind while tracking eye movements, taps or tones, then reports what comes up, over repeated sets. Sessions also strengthen a positive belief, such as 'I survived'. Treatment often takes several to a dozen sessions. It spread quickly through paid training workshops.
Why it matters
It is one of the most widely used PTSD therapies, recommended by the World Health Organization, and a classic test case for separating a treatment's real ingredients.
The evidence
Status: mixed. Trials show it helps PTSD about as much as trauma-focused CBT. But studies that drop the eye movements often get similar results, suggesting the movements add little.
Open questions
Whether eye movements matter at all; one theory says they tax working memory, making memories less vivid. Critics call it exposure therapy with added ritual.
Connections (2)
▸EMDR (eye movement desensitization) is used to treat Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)Mixed evidence
The connection
EMDR was designed for trauma memories. The patient recalls the worst image of an event, with its negative belief and body sensations, while tracking side-to-side movements, until the memory feels less upsetting and a positive belief replaces the negative one. It is used with veterans, assault survivors and disaster victims.
Who showed it and when
Francine Shapiro's first study (1989) treated trauma survivors, including Vietnam veterans; the WHO recommended EMDR for PTSD in 2013, as do US veterans' guidelines.
How solid is it?
Meta-analyses find it reduces PTSD symptoms about as much as trauma-focused CBT, but the American Psychological Association's 2017 guideline gives it only a conditional recommendation.
Open questions
Study quality varies and some trials were run by EMDR advocates; critics ask whether it works for reasons other than those its founder proposed.
▸EMDR (eye movement desensitization) may work mainly through Exposure therapyMixed evidence
The connection
In EMDR, patients briefly but repeatedly recall a trauma while safe, which is a form of exposure. Many researchers think this, not the eye movements, does most of the work, making EMDR a variant of exposure therapy with extra steps.
Who showed it and when
Debated since the 1990s by critics including Richard McNally and Scott Lilienfeld; a 2001 meta-analysis by Paul Davidson and Kevin Parker found eye movements unnecessary.
How solid is it?
Studies dropping the eye movements often get similar results, though a 2013 meta-analysis by Christopher Lee and Pim Cuijpers found a modest added effect.
Open questions
The working-memory theory says eye movements make memories less vivid; whether that adds meaningful benefit beyond exposure is unresolved.