EMDR Research

The Evidence Base

EMDR has been studied extensively since Francine Shapiro's first controlled trial in 1989 — nearly 40 years of evidence. This body of research has led organizations such as the World Health Organization, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, the American Psychiatric Association, and others to formally endorse EMDR as a gold-standard treatment for trauma-related difficulty.

Who Endorses EMDR

• The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends EMDR as one of only two treatments for PTSD in adults, children, and adolescents.

• The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense (VA/DoD) include EMDR in their 2023 Clinical Practice Guideline with their highest strength of recommendation: "Strong For."

• The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) strongly recommends EMDR as an effective treatment for post-traumatic conditions.

• The United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends EMDR for the treatment of PTSD.

• The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council includes EMDR in its guidelines for the prevention and treatment of PTSD.

• The American Psychiatric Association lists EMDR as an effective treatment for trauma.

• The Dutch National Steering Committee Guidelines Mental Health Care recommends EMDR for chronic PTSD.

A Growing Body of Evidence

While the earliest EMDR research focused on single-incident trauma and PTSD, the evidence base has expanded considerably. Published studies now support the effectiveness of EMDR for anxiety disorders, depression, grief and complicated mourning, phobias, chronic pain, performance anxiety, and the psychological impact of medical illness.

A growing body of research examines EMDR's effectiveness for complex and developmental trauma — the kind of early relational wounding that doesn't always meet criteria for PTSD but profoundly shapes how people experience themselves, their relationships, and their daily lives.

In 2024 and 2025, new research has explored EMDR's application to eating disorders, mood disorders, psychosis, and pandemic-related traumatic stress. The Frontiers in Psychology special edition "Present and Future of EMDR" is now in its third volume, documenting this. The trajectory is clear: EMDR's clinical applications are broadening and becoming better defined as the research continues.

Understanding How EMDR Works

Alongside the research on the effectiveness of EMDR, there is also an active and growing body of investigation into the mechanisms underlying EMDR — how and why it works at the level of the brain and nervous system.

Several well-supported theories are being studied. The working memory taxation model suggests that bilateral stimulation reduces the vividness and emotional intensity of traumatic memories by occupying working memory during recall. The orienting response theory proposes that bilateral stimulation activates the brain's natural investigatory reflex, shifting the nervous system from alarm to attentive calm. And research into REM sleep parallels suggests that EMDR may activate the same neural processes involved in how the brain naturally consolidates and integrates experiences during sleep.

Neuroimaging studies have begun to map what happens in the brain during EMDR processing. Early findings show measurable changes in connectivity between the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus — the circuits most disrupted by trauma. More recent research is examining how EMDR affects the default mode network, the brain system involved in self-referential thought and personal narrative. These studies suggest that EMDR may help restore the brain's capacity to contextualize and integrate difficult experiences rather than remaining stuck in them.

This research is still evolving, and no single theory fully explains EMDR's effects. But the convergence of evidence across multiple lines of investigation — behavioral, neurological, and clinical — continues to strengthen our understanding of why EMDR produces the changes it does.

A Note on Transparency

As a clinician, I value being straightforward about what the research shows and where it is still developing. The evidence for EMDR's effectiveness in treating trauma-related conditions is robust. The evidence for its mechanisms is promising and growing. And the evidence for its applications beyond PTSD is expanding rapidly, with new studies published regularly.

This is how good science works — we follow the evidence, remain honest about its boundaries, and continue investigating.

Selected References and Recommendations for Further Reading

Shapiro, F. (2014). The role of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in medicine: Addressing the psychological and physical symptoms stemming from adverse life experiences. The Permanente Journal, 18(1), 71-77.

Marcus, S., Marquis, P., and Sakai, C. (1997). Controlled study of treatment of PTSD using EMDR in an HMO setting. Psychotherapy, 34, 307-315.

Wright, S. L., et al. (2024). EMDR v. other psychological therapies for PTSD: A systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis. Psychological Medicine, 54, 1580-1588.

World Health Organization. (2013; updated 2023). Guidelines for the management of conditions specifically related to stress.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense. (2023). VA/DoD clinical practice guideline for the management of PTSD and acute stress disorder. (Version 4.0).

International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. (2018). ISTSS PTSD prevention and treatment guidelines.

EMDR Institute research overview: emdr.com/research-overview

EMDRIA resource library: emdria.org