Skip to content
EMDR Think Tank Initiative

Working Groups

Working Groups

ETTI organizes its scientific activity through thematic working groups, each focused on a specific area of EMDR therapy research. Working groups bring together clinician-scientists across regions and disciplines to coordinate studies, develop methodologies, and advance shared research priorities.

These groups emerged from the recent Think Tank meeting and continue to evolve. ETTI welcomes researchers and clinician- scientists whose work aligns with these themes to contribute to ongoing efforts or propose new directions.

01

Depression Research Group

Investigating the efficacy and mechanisms of EMDR therapy in depressive disorders, including treatment-resistant depression and depression with comorbid trauma. The group coordinates clinical studies and develops shared protocols for multicenter research.

Contact Coordinators

Express interest in this group →

02

Clinical Data and Methodology Group

Developing methodological frameworks for the systematic collection and analysis of clinical data across EMDR practice settings, with attention to data quality, study design, and the harmonization of outcome measures.

Contact Coordinators

Express interest in this group →

03

PTSD Multi-Site Trial Group

Coordinating large-scale, multicenter randomized controlled trials of EMDR therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder, with the aim of strengthening the evidence base for international treatment guidelines.

Current Projects and Focus

  • Current project looking for additional sites

    EMDR is widely recognised as an effective treatment for trauma particularly in comparison to other treatments. Yet concerns have emerged about whether EMDR might alter memory, particularly in ways that could affect the reliability of eyewitness testimony.

    Recent legal cases in Australia and elsewhere in the world have highlighted the seriousness of this issue. These developments raise the possibility that trauma survivors may avoid therapy for fear it could undermine their credibility in court—an outcome with profound consequences for mental health, justice, and therapeutic jurisprudence.

    At the same time, cognitive science suggests that intrusive and voluntary memories may be governed by separate systems. Laboratory studies by Lau‑Zhu, Henson, and Holmes (2019, 2021) show that intrusive memories can be reduced without altering voluntary narrative recall. We think it is possible to alleviate intrusive memories resulting from trauma while still retaining the ability to access voluntary memory.

    However, these findings have never been tested in real clinical settings with real trauma survivors. No study has examined EMDR’s effects on both intrusive (“flash‑on”) and narrative memory in a clinical population, nor has any research explored whether hypnotic susceptibility plays a role—despite courts raising concerns about “hypnotic states.” Doubts have also been raised about the potential of Imagery Rescripting to effect a patients recall of their experience after treatment since it involves a deliberate altering of how a memory is recalled. However patients may retain their original memory and their new suggested memory. Whether this occurs or not is an empirical question yet to be tested.

    This makes your research uniquely important. It will provide the first empirical evidence capable of informing courts, clinicians, and policymakers about whether EMDR affects memory recall in ways relevant to legal testimony. It also has the potential to reduce unnecessary fear around therapy and support trauma survivors in accessing treatment without jeopardising justice outcomes.

    A final contribution of this project to the scientific literature stems from its design: because it assesses EMDR and IR against a no-treatment control to establish the effects of each treatment on memory, it will add to knowledge of both treatments' efficacy relative to a no-treatment condition — a gap that currently exists in the literature for both.

    Intervention

    • Treatment groups: Up to 12 90‑minute sessions of EMDR or IR in 6–8 weeks.
    • Control group: Individuals on the waitlist receiving no active treatment during the above period.

    Assessments

    Participants complete:

    • Narrative recall tasks to assess voluntary memory
    • Flash‑on memory assessment using text‑based analysis tools
    • CAPS, PCL‑5 at intake and post‑intervention
    • Secondary symptom measures, e.g. PHQ-9

    Expected Outcomes

    Based on existing research, the hypothesis is that:

    • EMDR and IR will reduce flash on memory frequency and vividness and aversive content
    • EMDR will not alter voluntary narrative recall (Bayesian analysis)
    • EMDR and IR will lead to more symptom reduction than a waitlist control

Members

Elliot Bell, Marisa Rodriguez

Contact Coordinators

Express interest in this group →

04

EMDR Child and Adolescent Workgroup

A collaboration of EMDR therapists who work with children and adolescents in clinical work and conduct research on utilizing EMDR therapy with children and adolescents.

Current Projects and Focus

  • Project 1: CGTEP with children in Ukraine: Cindy Palen, Olya Zaporozhets, Rodney Fry
  • Project 2: TF-CBT and Flash-TEP with adolescents: Cindy Palen, Tracy Pittman, Kelly Leader, Jennifer Rosado, Anna Reidel, Lori Pereira
  • Focus: create a library of shareable resources for research on EMDR and Children and Adolescents

Challenges and Key Questions

How to help those who want to do research but would like someone with whom to collaborate

Members

Contact Coordinators

Express interest in this group →

05

EMDR for Psychosis International Consortium (EPIC)

The EPIC Network is an international collaboration of researchers with a shared interest in building the evidence base for EMDR as an intervention for psychosis and psychotic risk states. We work together to support rigorous, coordinated trial work in this emerging field. A central part of what we do is exploring how EMDR clinical protocols differ across countries and healthcare contexts, and what those differences might mean for treatment outcomes and implementation. This comparative, cross-national perspective informs our longer-term aim: to contribute to large-scale multinational clinical trials, with a particular focus on understanding the mechanisms by which EMDR may help prevent the onset or progression of psychosis. We are committed to facilitating knowledge exchange around trial design, implementation, and analysis, with the goal of gradually building a more coherent body of evidence. By working closely together, we hope to be well-placed to pursue multi-site and multi-national studies that would be difficult for any single team to undertake alone. Note: EPIC Network membership is reserved for active trialists. To maintain the focus of the network, we welcome only researchers who are either currently conducting randomised controlled trials of EMDR with individuals with psychosis or at clinical high risk for psychotic disorders, or who are at an advanced stage of planning such a trial. We recognise that interest in EMDR for psychosis extends well beyond the trialist community, and we value the broader clinical, theoretical, and developmental work happening in this space. However, at this time, the EPIC Network is not a forum for general interest in the field — our purpose is focused on trial methodology and evidence consolidation, and membership reflects that. If you are an active or imminent trialist in this area, we would love to hear from you.

Contact Coordinators

Express interest in this group →

06

EMDR/Attachment Research Group

The group is supporting and developing research related to the impact of EMDR therapy on attachment patterns.

Current Projects and Focus

  • Supporting Gabriel Monsalve in his dissertation project development
  • Potential research project development by Jennie D'Alcour involving children

Challenges and Key Questions

Research designs that will be both doable (limited funds) and impactful.

Members

Debra Wesselmann, Gabriel Monsalve, Susan Darker-Smith, Ann Potter, Jennie D'Alcour, Akiko Kikuchi, Juliane Tortes Saint Jammes

Contact Coordinators

Express interest in this group →

07

EMDR Group Work

Developing and evaluating group-based EMDR protocols and interventions, with attention to scalability, community applications, and post-disaster mental health response.

Contact Coordinators

Express interest in this group →

08

EMDR Therapy and Supporting Students

Examining the application of EMDR therapy in educational settings, with a focus on supporting students affected by trauma, adversity, and academic stress, and on developing school-based models of care.

Contact Coordinators

Express interest in this group →

09

EMDR and Working with The Integration of Parts / Structural Dissociation Models with the AIP/EMDR Framework

Integrating parts work and structural dissociation models within the Adaptive Information Processing framework, clarifying how dissociative structures are conceptualized and treated in EMDR therapy.

Contact Coordinators

Express interest in this group →

10

EMDR and AI

Exploring the role of artificial intelligence in EMDR therapy research, training, and clinical support, including data analysis, outcome prediction, and the ethical use of emerging technologies.

Current Projects and Focus

  • Developing and evaluating AI-powered digital interventions, including a self-guided Flash Technique application for trauma processing.

Challenges and Key Questions

  • Integrating artificial intelligence into EMDR therapy while maintaining clinical ethics, data privacy, and therapist-client rapport
  • Evaluating the efficacy, safety, and psychological mechanisms of AI-assisted EMDR tools and virtual environments
  • Establishing standardized guidelines and validation frameworks for AI applications in trauma-focused interventions

Contact Coordinators

Express interest in this group →

11

EMDR and Data Collection and Research in Complex, Naturalistic Clinical Settings

Developing approaches to data collection and research in complex, naturalistic clinical settings — including inpatient clinics, CPTSD, and dissociative disorders — where standard trial designs are difficult to apply.

Express interest in this group →

12

Redefining EMDR Work Group

Revisiting the definition, scope, and conceptual boundaries of EMDR therapy, with attention to terminology, fidelity, and how the approach is described in scientific and professional contexts.

Current Projects and Focus

  • Writing up the results of the 20 focus group Redefining EMDR Study
  • Study on patient involvement

Challenges and Key Questions

Reporting the data from the 20 focus groups. Finding a consensual definition for EMDR. Publishing an article on patient involvement.

Members/Focus Group Facilitators:

Adrian Cillo, Susan Darker-Smith, Helen Doan, Sarah Dominguez, Elisa Faretti, Emre Konuk, Akiko Kikuchi, Judy Moench, Arlene Nduku, Tal Moore, Chintan Naik, Elan Shapiro, Jonas Tesarz, Julianne St. Tortes-Jammes, Jiske Weijermans, Ana Maria Zampieri, Olya Zaporozhets

Group Coordinators/Contacts:

Express interest in this group →

13

EMDR and Training

Examining EMDR training standards, competency development, and supervision models, with the aim of strengthening the quality and consistency of education across regions.

Contact Coordinators

Express interest in this group →

14

EMDR in Hospitals and Healthcare Settings Workgroup

The workgroup, coordinated within EMDR Italy by Elisa Faretta, promotes the implementation, development, and scientific evaluation of EMDR Therapy in hospitals and healthcare settings. Its aims are to support evidence-based clinical practice, foster collaboration among clinicians and researchers working in medical services, promote multicenter research, and contribute to best-practice recommendations for integrating EMDR Therapy into multidisciplinary healthcare systems.

Current Projects and Focus

  • Our first nationwide survey on the use and organizational integration of EMDR Therapy in Italian public and accredited healthcare services has now been published in the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research:Faretta, E., et al. (2026). Clinician-Reported Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Use and Organizational Integration in Italian Public and Accredited Healthcare Services: An Exploratory Descriptive Survey. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 20, Article 44.Open access: https://doi.org/10.34133/jemdr.0044
  • Development of recommendations and best-practice guidance for implementing EMDR Therapy in healthcare settings.
  • Coordination of a multicenter research project involving several Italian hospitals on an EMDR resource-enhancement intervention delivered before major surgery, with the aim of improving psychological preparedness, emotional resilience, and perioperative adjustment.
  • Development of clinical and research activities in psycho-oncology, psychosomatic medicine, chronic pain, medical trauma, and trauma-informed healthcare.
  • Promotion of multicenter collaborations and research networks among hospitals, healthcare services, universities, and research institutions.
  • Advanced training and clinical supervision for EMDR therapists working in medical and hospital settings.

Challenges and Key Questions

  • How can EMDR Therapy be effectively and sustainably integrated into multidisciplinary hospital and healthcare services?
  • Which EMDR interventions and adaptations are most appropriate for different medical conditions, stages of illness, and healthcare settings?
  • What is the evidence for early or timely EMDR interventions following medical trauma, hospitalization, severe illness, or major surgery?
  • How can we develop shared standards and best-practice recommendations while maintaining fidelity to the AIP model?
  • How can multicenter research be strengthened to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of EMDR interventions in healthcare settings?

Contact Coordinators

Express interest in this group →

Proposing a New Working Group

Researchers and clinician-scientists with a defined research agenda may propose new thematic working groups. Proposals are reviewed by the Steering Committee and evaluated for scientific coherence, methodological rigor, and alignment with ETTI's mission.

Contact the Steering Committee →