1 Origins and the neurobiological model of psychological trauma
Discovered by the American psychologist Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, EMDR is based on the Adaptive Information Processing model. When a terrifying, tragic event overwhelms the nervous system, the memory remains trapped in limbic neural networks, along with its violent images, sounds, smells and original bodily distress, unable to be integrated into long-term semantic memory.
2 The standardised eight-phase protocol
The intervention follows a rigorous framework: history-taking, psychological preparation, emotional stabilisation through establishing a mental ‘safe place’, identification of the traumatic target, desensitisation through horizontal eye movements from right to left, installation of a reinforcing positive cognition, a checking body scan and safe closure. Bilateral stimulation reactivates communication between the brain’s two hemispheres.
3 Clinical indications and recognition by the WHO
Recognised by the World Health Organization and INSERM, EMDR is a reference treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following assaults, rape, accidents, attacks or disasters. It also proves highly effective in treating unresolved grief, disabling phobias and early childhood attachment wounds.
4 The place of this method within care
The place of this method within care requires careful preparation: the therapist begins bilateral stimulation only once the person has the resources needed to tolerate the emotions it evokes. At the end of the process, the event belongs firmly to the past and no longer intrudes upon everyday life.
5 The importance of accreditation and a safe clinical framework
EMDR’s remarkable effectiveness requires rigorous clinical training recognised by EMDR Europe or EMDR France. The practitioner ensures that the patient has sufficient emotional stability in daily life before addressing severe traumatic targets, providing a safe and protective passage through the work.