2025 Conference Archives

Trainer Session | 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (3 CEs)

$60 members / $85 non-members
Separate registration required

Trainer Session* is a dedicated pre-conference event that brings together EMDRIA Trainers™ for focused dialogue, collaboration, and professional development. This special gathering provides a space to share insights and explore emerging issues in EMDR education. It’s an opportunity for connection, innovation, and continued growth among those shaping the next generation of EMDR clinicians.

*For EMDRIA Trainers™ only

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will be able to identify ways to train and support Assisting Faculty (Facilitators) who support trainees in EMDR basic trainings.
2. Participants will explain and compare various educational aspects of their EMDR basic trainings.
3. Participants will compile and review suggestions to adapt and improve their EMDR basic trainings.

9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | Training Assisting Faculty

Alicia Avila, LCSW, Michelle Gottlieb, PsyD, LMFT, LPCC, Paula Harry, MS, LCSW, MBA

This 90-minute panel will provide participants with practical strategies for effectively training and supporting Assisting Faculty (Facilitators) who support trainees during EMDR basic trainings. Through discussion, examples, and shared experiences, participants will explore approaches that foster clarity, consistency, and collaboration within the training team. The session will address how these strategies can be adapted to fit a variety of training contexts—whether working with just one or two facilitators or managing a larger team—ensuring that all trainers can create a supportive and well-coordinated learning environment.

10:30 a.m. - 11 a.m. | Break

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | EMDR Training: Nuts and Bolts

Participant discussion facilitated by EMDRIA staff.

This interactive session is designed to foster peer learning and collaboration among EMDR trainers. In small groups, participants will explore key questions around handling trainees outside their window of tolerance, innovative teaching methods for both online and in-person settings, and recent successes in Basic Trainings. Participants will also have the opportunity to share training dilemmas and receive feedback from colleagues. The session will conclude with a group report-out and time for participants to identify key takeaways and possible adaptations they plan to implement in their own trainings.

Consultant Session | 2 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (3 CEs)

$60 members / $85 non-members
Separate registration required

Consultant Session* is a pre-conference event for EMDRIA Approved Consultants™ and EMDRIA Approved Consultants in Training™. This focused gathering offers opportunities to deepen consultation skills, explore best practices, and engage in meaningful dialogue about supporting EMDR clinicians.

*For EMDRIA Approved Consultants™ and EMDRIA Approved Consultants in Training™ only.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to identify two strategies for teaching treatment planning and case conceptualization to their consultees.
2. Participants will be able to describe two inclusive strategies for adapting EMDR consultation to support consultees with sensory, communication, or processing differences.
3. Participants will be able to evaluate their own consultation practices for inclusivity and identify one area for improvement to support their diverse consultees.

2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Best Practices in EMDR Consultation

Mary Eason, Ph.D., C Paula Krentzel, PhD, Jasmine Adams, LCSW, PMH-C

This dynamic session features a panel of EMDR Consultants sharing practical approaches to enhance your EMDR consultation work. It will include strategies for teaching treatment planning and case conceptualization in a clear and accessible way for consultees. It will explore how to provide consultation through an inclusive lens, with a focus on supporting consultees with different backgrounds and processing differences. Additionally, it will discuss principles of inclusive EMDR consultation to create affirming, responsive spaces for diverse consultees. Participants will leave with concrete tools and perspectives to enrich their consultation practice.

3:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. | Break

4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | EMDR Consultation: Nuts and Bolts

Participant discussion facilitated by EMDRIA staff.

This interactive session invites participants to engage in meaningful dialogue about the realities and nuances of consultation. After a brief overview, participants will engage in small-group discussions. Guided by focused questions, attendees will explore common challenges, effective methods for teaching case conceptualization, and strategies for balancing protocol fidelity with flexibility across diverse settings and populations. We will also share inclusive practices that support IDEA principles—embracing neurodivergence and cultural diversity. It will conclude with a report-out, allowing participants to share key insights and takeaways.

Friday 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. | Keynote Session (1.5 CEs)

The Future of EMDR

Suzy Matthijssen, Ph.D.

Suzy Matthijssen, Ph.D., explores the dynamic evolution of EMDR within the context of its origins, current challenges, and notable achievements. Reflecting on the historical milestones that have shaped EMDR, she examines the therapeutic challenges and breakthroughs that have underscored the modality's resilience and adaptability in mental health practices. Dr. Matthijssen will discuss the critical advancements that EMDR has achieved in the treatment of trauma and other psychological conditions, highlighting how these successes contribute to the foundation for future development. Looking forward, the presentation will address how EMDR is positioning itself in a rapidly changing world, emphasizing the necessity for innovative approaches in research, training, and practice to meet evolving clinical and societal needs.

Friday 12:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.| Inside EMDR & Sessions 121-128 (3 CEs)

Inside an EMDR Session

Clinical Decision-Making in EMDR Practice

Deborah L. Korn, Psy.D.

Through the use of video-recorded EMDR sessions, this dynamic presentation invites participants into the therapy room, offering a real-time look at moment-to-moment clinical decision-making. The presenter will guide attendees through key points with a complex trauma client, highlighting the importance of the therapeutic relationship and noting how decisions are made with regard to pacing, prioritizing, and the active use of interweaves. Participants will gain insight into how EMDR principles are applied flexibly and responsively, enhancing both clinical confidence and precision. This session is ideal for clinicians looking to deepen their practical skills and refine their ability to navigate the complexities of EMDR therapy with intention and clarity.

Session 121

Beyond the Basics: Advanced EMDR Interventions for C-PTSD

Rebecca Kase, LCSW

EMDR therapy offers powerful tools for treating complex PTSD, yet clinicians often face challenges in conceptualization, stabilization, and reprocessing. This advanced workshop goes beyond the basics, equipping EMDR therapists with innovative strategies for working with CPTSD. Participants will explore the effectiveness of EMDR for CPTSD, the long-standing phase-oriented approach to CPTSD work, and how to adopt a more flexible, nervous-system-informed approach. The session will also cover symptom-focused treatment planning, targeted interventions for constricted processing, and attachment-based EMDR techniques for developmental trauma. Through lecture, case studies, and demonstrations, attendees will gain practical skills to enhance client stabilization, readiness, and reprocessing success.

Session 122

Enactment-Focused EMDR: Targeting the Space Between Attachment Wounds

Bridger Falkenstien, Jen Savage, LPC & Caleb Boston, LPC

While EMDR effectively processes past trauma, it often neglects the ongoing relational enactments that sustain trauma responses in the present. Enactments are unconscious re-creations of early attachment wounds, shaping relational patterns and therapeutic dynamics. Without addressing enactments, trauma treatment risks reinforcing a past-centric model, leaving clients vulnerable to retraumatization. This presentation introduces enactment-focused EMDR (EF-EMDR), a relational expansion of EMDR that targets active, present-day relational patterns as processing material. Participants will learn to identify, track, and intervene in enactments within therapy, using EMDR to disrupt cycles of relational repetition. Through clinical examples and interactive discussion, this session will equip therapists with practical tools to engage enactments as central processing targets, deepen case conceptualization, and strengthen therapeutic attunement. EF-EMDR offers a transformative shift in trauma treatment, bridging past memory processing with real-time relational healing and ensuring sustainable, embodied change for clients.

Session 123

EMDR and Somatic Interventions: Integrative Approach for Eating Disorders

Tara Cothren, LPC & Patricia Kessler, LPC

The prevalence of eating disorders has been on the rise, more than doubling between 2000 and 2018, according to recent data. Research has also indicated that more than one fifth of children worldwide have shown traits of disordered eating. Many clients struggling with eating disorders recall early life events contributing to a maladaptive view of body image. During this presentation, the presenters and participants will collaboratively explore how Phase 1 of EMDR can incorporate body image assessment and how body dissatisfaction may result from adverse early life experiences or events. Additionally, the presenters will provide participants with experiential practice utilizing somatic interventions to be implemented in Phases 2, 6, and 7 of the eight-phase protocol. Case examples will be provided, and participants will practice case conceptualization of the integrated model of EMDR with somatic interventions to treat eating disorders and negative body image.

Session 124

EMDR with Dissociative Teens: Collaborative Journeys of Healing and Repair

Annie Monaco, LCSW & Jenny Dwyer, Ph.D.

This workshop presents two rich clinical cases of successful EMDR therapy with dissociative teens: one suffering severe dissociative seizures (or FND) and the other displaying aggressive and sexual behavior problems. The presentation brings together therapists from two different sides of the world with clients who have vastly different symptoms. Through extensive use of videos, we will demonstrate the shared conceptualization and creative strategies needed to work through such complex presentations of teens with dissociative symptoms. Therapeutic challenges included overcoming avoidance, working with their narrow windows of tolerance, the need for attachment repair, and the impact on their developmental trajectory. Both cases demonstrate the vital role of parents as co-therapists in enhancing the success of treatment.

Session 125

Dual Focus Treatment: OCD and PTSD

C Paula Krentzel, Ph.D. & Jennifer Tattersall, LCSW

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) commonly develops after a traumatic experience, and thus it is essential that clinicians understand the comorbidity between OCD and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms as well as the difference in presentations. Both diagnoses include avoidance behaviors and rituals related to an urge to reduce anxiety and to increase a sense of safety. Although the symptoms overlap, they are different in functionality. Clinicians sometimes erroneously believe that treating the PTSD will reduce the OCD symptoms. Conversely, some studies have suggested that decreasing PTSD symptoms during treatment are associated with increasing OCD symptoms. The reverse also occurs: a decrease of OCD symptomatology can be associated with a decrease in PTSD. Treating one disorder without understanding the interactions between the two disorders can lead to a rupture in the clinical relationship and potential reinforcement of the OCD.

Session 126

Sleep: The Unrecognized Key to Stabilization

Jaan Reitav, Ph.D. & Celeste Thirlwell, MD, FRCPC

This session explores the crucial role of normal sleep-wake rhythms in sustaining the adaptive information processing (AIP) model for mental and physical health. Trauma disrupts autonomic regulation and can lead to persistent sleep disturbances such as nightmares, insomnia disorder (ID), and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which can interfere with AIP processing in EMDR therapy. Participants in this symposium will engage in practicum experiences to develop communication strategies for educating clients about sleep health, screen for sleep disorders, and integrate sleep assessments into EMDR treatment planning. Neuroscientific foundations for addressing trauma-related sleep dysregulation in Phase 2 stabilization will be reviewed, emphasizing the importance of restoring autonomic balance. Practical applications include hands-on training in breathing and relaxation techniques to help repair sleep-wake rhythms independent of AIP reprocessing. Through clinical case examples and experiential learning, EMDR therapists will gain tools to enhance stabilization and improve treatment outcomes by systematically addressing sleep disturbances before progressing to Phases 3 through 8.

Session 127

Creative Collaborations: Engaging Parents in the EMDR Process with Kids

Christine Mark-Griffin, LCSW & Debra Wesselmann, LIMHP

Parents play a crucial role in a child’s healing journey, yet many therapists struggle with effectively engaging caregivers in the EMDR process. This interactive workshop explores creative and practical ways to integrate parents into EMDR therapy, strengthening the child’s support system and enhancing treatment outcomes. Through hands-on activities, therapists will learn how to use art, storytelling, and play-based techniques to help parents understand and support their child’s trauma healing. Participants will also explore strategies for co-regulation, attachment-building, interactional interweaves, and reinforcing EMDR skills at home. By the end of the workshop, therapists will leave with a toolkit of engaging interventions that empower parents to become active partners in their child’s healing process. This workshop is ideal for EMDR clinicians working with children and families who want to make parent involvement more dynamic, accessible, and effective.

Session 128

An IFS-Informed Approach to Redefining Resistance in EMDR Therapy

Crystal Hines, LPC

Integrating internal family systems (IFS) therapy into EMDR can enhance trauma treatment by addressing the protective parts that emerge during processing. Clients often experience resistance, emotional blocks, or overwhelm in EMDR, which can be understood as the activation of protective parts attempting to shield them from deeper pain. By incorporating IFS, therapists can identify, validate, and work collaboratively with these parts, ensuring they feel safe before proceeding with reprocessing. This approach can foster self-leadership, reduce therapeutic roadblocks, and deepen healing by allowing access to core wounds in a compassionate and structured way. Through practical techniques such as mapping parts, unblending, and collaborating problem solving, therapists can create a smoother, more effective EMDR process. This presentation explores strategies for integrating IFS into EMDR, offering clinicians tools to navigate client protectors and enhance trauma resolution with greater ease and attunement.

Friday 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. | Sessions 221-228 (1.5 CEs)

Session 221

Help! Which do I do? Comprehensive Treatment vs. Symptom Reduction

Michelle Gottlieb, Psy.D. & Deborah Silveria, Ph.D.

Clients begin treatment to feel better. Clinicians want to treat everything that has ever occurred in a client's life. Hence the dilemma that many clinicians find themselves in: Do we do symptom reduction or comprehensive treatment? There are many factors that help clinicians make this decision, such as the length of time a client will be in treatment, client fragility, and clients' goals. This workshop will help the EMDR clinician more clearly understand these two treatment plan options and will help them work with their clients to make the best decision for each individual client. The presenters will include recommendations for working with different ages and cultures.

Session 222

Overcoming Problems, Pitfalls, and Common Mistakes in Using EMDR

William Zangwill, Ph.D. & Elizabeth Armstrong, LCSW

No therapeutic approach—no matter how powerful—can succeed without correct implementation. Unfortunately, EMDR is often misunderstood or misapplied, which can limit its effectiveness. This workshop will help you enhance your EMDR practice at every treatment phase. We will address common problems and mistakes we often make and provide practical step-by-step solutions. Specific topics include common pitfalls in EMDR preparation, mistakes made during EMDR processing, effective use of cognitive interweaves, and proper closure and integration. By refining our skills, we can deliver more effective treatment and help clients achieve deeper healing. In this workshop, we will explore how to do better.

Session 223

Research Symposium

Session 223A: Group EMDR & Compassion Focussed Treatment for PTSD/CPTSD & Moral Injury

Derek Farrell, Ph.D., MBE, Sonny Provetto, LICSW, & Prof. Paul Miller, M.D., BCh, BAO, DMH, MRCPsych, FRSA

This study explores the integration of group EMDR treatment (acute stress adaptive protocol) and compassion-focused therapy as a treatment intervention for PTSD/CPTSD and moral injury in front-line workers/law enforcement officers. These workers occupationally operate in toxic trauma environments where trauma exposure is often compounded by work environments and hierarchical structures generating moral injury. Although there is some degree of interchangeability between PTSD/CPTSD and moral injury, nonetheless, there are important distinctions that have significant implications for psychoeducation, understanding, clinical interventions, and research and development.

Session 223B: Examining In-person and Telehealth Delivery of EMDR Therapy to Veterans

Christina Fairbanks, Ph.D., Kayla Keener, MSW, LISW-S, & Stephanie Glitsos, LCSW

EMDR therapy has been extensively studied and is a first-line EBP for PTSD according to the 2023 VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guidelines for PTSD. Yet, few studies have evaluated EMDR in veterans, and no study has compared in person (IP) to telehealth (TH) delivery among veterans. These gaps in the literature are concerning given that the VA greatly expanded TH delivery of EMDR during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, this multi-site, retrospective chart review aimed to address these gaps by (1) evaluating EMDR treatment outcomes among veterans and (2) examining whether IP and TH deliveries of EMDR yield similar outcomes in VA settings. Findings suggest that EMDR is an effective PTSD treatment for veterans. IP and TH modalities largely yielded similar outcomes, highlighting both modalities as effective. These results underscore the importance of further evaluating EMDR delivered via IP and TH to veterans.

Session 223C: EMDR Visual Stimulation Variants in Positive Installations: Vagal Response

Maria Junqueira Zampieri, Ph.D., Moacir Godoy, Ph.D.

Importance of brain stimulation in outcomes of EMDR treatment is well established, although it’s not yet fully understood. When investigating the effects of an EMDR protocol focused on strengthening the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in patients with complex PTSD symptoms, a specific aspect of visual stimulation caught our attention. The author of the protocol takes into account that the functionality of the regulatory system in the right orbitofrontal cortex depends on the stimuli in the development (experience-dependent maturation). The findings of this study, although preliminary and limited to a single population, suggest the possibility of using a variant of visual stimulation as a positive setup in Phase 2 or other phases of the standard protocol and that a brief EMDR intervention may be a viable and promising tool as an early intervention in emergency stress situations, as indicators for future research.

Session 224

Predictive Processing: Updated Metaphors for the Neurobiology of Trauma

Thomas Zimmerman, Ms.Ed., LPCC

For much of the last 50 years, the triune brain model has heavily shaped how trauma therapists understand and explain the neurobiology of trauma. It has provided metaphors that have been helpful, non-pathologizing, and universally applicable. More recent advances in our understanding of brain evolution and function, however, have comprehensively undermined many of the core assumptions of triune brain, rendering it no longer a tenable explanation of trauma and its aftermath. Research in many fields has organized around the central role of the nervous system in constructing current reality using predictive processing. The implications of predictive processing are highly compatible with the adaptive information processing (AIP) model. This presentation explores the practical and metaphorical possibilities of predictive processing in ways that are likely to be accessible to most trauma therapists. Predictive processing provides the opportunity to develop new metaphors that are helpful, more accurate, less pathologizing, and more culturally and contextually relevant.

Session 225

Breaking the ADHD-Depression Cycle at Work: Effective Interventions

Joel Kouame, LCSW

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression frequently co-occur, forming a reinforcing cycle that impacts self-esteem, motivation, and workplace performance. ADHD symptoms—including inattention, disorganization, and impulsivity—often lead to repeated setbacks, fostering feelings of inadequacy that contribute to depressive symptoms such as hopelessness and lethargy. This cycle can create significant challenges in professional settings, where task initiation and follow-through are essential for success. This presentation explores how EMDR therapy offers a promising approach to breaking this cycle. EMDR helps individuals process negative self-beliefs, reframe past experiences, and develop a more adaptive self-concept. By addressing deeply ingrained cognitive distortions and enhancing self-efficacy, EMDR fosters resilience, improves task engagement, and ultimately enhances workplace performance. Attendees will gain insights into the intersection of ADHD and depression, workplace implications, and the therapeutic potential of EMDR as an intervention for improving professional and personal well-being.

Session 226

EMDR & Emotional Neglect: Healing the Invisible Wounds of the Good Childhood

Cassidy DuHadway, LCSW

Many clients enter therapy believing they had a “good childhood,” yet they carry a deep, pervasive sense of not enoughness—a feeling of emptiness, unworthiness, and emotional disconnection they can’t quite explain. Emotional neglect—the absence of attunement, validation, and support—is one of the most overlooked yet impactful forms of trauma. Unlike overt abuse, its wounds are silent, shaping implicit memories and core beliefs that tell clients their needs, emotions, and very existence are too much—or not enough. This presentation will explore how EMDR can illuminate and heal these invisible wounds. Participants will learn to identify emotional neglect in case conceptualization, target the implicit messages that reinforce not enoughness, and use EMDR interventions to reprocess core beliefs like “I should be fine” or “My needs don’t matter.” Practical strategies for resourcing, attachment repair, and deepening emotional awareness will equip clinicians to help clients reclaim their sense of self and inherent worth.

Session 227

The Silent War: EMDR & Systemic Racism in the Military

Arielle Jordan, Ph.D., LCPC

For many BIPOC service members, the trauma of military service is compounded by systemic racism, moral injury, and identity loss. Standard EMDR protocols often fail to address the intersection of racial trauma and military betrayal, leaving veterans struggling with unresolved distress.

Session 228

The Nest Metaphor: A Somatically Informed Case Conceptualization and Preparation Tool

Alison Leslie, LCSW, SEP

Discover the “nest” metaphor: an innovative framework that blends somatic awareness with bio-psycho-social-cultural understanding to enhance your EMDR practice. Drawing from nature’s imagery, this approach explores how clients’ early environments—their emotional and physical “nests”—shaped their development and current experiences. Like nests in nature, these environments exist on a spectrum: from those providing safety, comfort, and emotional security to those characterized by a lack of those elements. This framework helps clinicians and clients map how past environments influence present patterns, understand the impact of systemic oppression, and assess mind-body connections in relation to feeling safe. This presentation introduces how to weave the nest metaphor into Phases 1 and 2, emphasizing new tools you can use right away to support a client’s embodiment and readiness for later reprocessing. Learn how to deepen your case conceptualization, history-taking, and preparation through this experiential, somatically informed approach.

The evidence supporting EMDR as a first-line treatment for PTSD is widely endorsed across multiple international guidelines. However, a notable exception is the recommendations published by the APA in 2025. In this talk, Associate Professor Christopher Lee will explore the reasons behind this discrepancy. Drawing on his own research and the existing literature, he will identify the disorders for which we can confidently assert effective treatment outcomes, as well as areas needing improvement. Additionally, he will analyse which clients may not be appropriate for EMDR, acknowledging legitimate concerns and clarifying misconceptions. These include beliefs such as: EMDR poses risks or suicidal patients, it may compromise legal testimony, it is ineffective for refugees when interpreters are involved, and it does not provide long-term benefits for individuals with complex trauma.

Saturday 12:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. | Inside EMDR & Sessions 331-338 (3 CEs)

Inside an EMDR Session

The Clinical Application of EMDR therapy in Clients with Complex PTSD

Ad de Jongh, Ph.D.

This session is designed to highlight the practical, in-the-room application of EMDR therapy. In this session, the presenter will share recorded clinical sessions with patients with Complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder, and guide attendees through key moments, offering a real-time look at moment-to-moment clinical decision-making. The goal is to help clinicians better understand how EMDR principles are applied flexibly inside the therapy room.

Session 331

Attachment-Focused EMDR Phase 2: Form Positive Beliefs & Inner Attachments

Ann Potter, Ph.D. & Debra Wesselmann, LIMHP

Adults who experienced childhood attachment trauma and ruptures in early attachment relationships carry into adulthood negative cognitions and affect about themselves and relationships with others from their past experiences, creating limiting beliefs about their own innate goodness and their ability to form healthy relationships. This presentation outlines the attachment-focused EMDR preparation phase. Participants will acquire therapeutic skills to guide clients through steps aimed at strengthening clients’ adaptive information through accessing and deepening their positive cognitions of “I’m OK,” “I’m safe now,” “I have everything I need,” and “I am not alone anymore” using the adaptive information processing (AIP) model during EMDR preparation Phase 2. Participants will also learn methods to provide clients with internal corrective attachment experiences through the process of transforming inner personality parts and reconstructing clients’ internal personality system.

Session 332

What it Means to Queer EMDR: LGBTQIA+ Affirming Therapy in all 8 Phases

Roshni Chabra, LMFT, Marlena Joy, LCSW, Rev. Karla Fleshman, LCSW, MDiv, Earl Martin, LCSW, Erin E. Kelly, LCSW, & Tiff Lanza, Ph.D., LCSW

This presentation will explore how to integrate LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy into the EMDR therapy's eight-phase standard protocol, emphasizing the importance of culturally competent care for LGBTQIA+ clients. Attendees will learn how to create a more inclusive therapeutic space, apply EMDR techniques with an awareness of sexual and gender identity, and address unique trauma experiences faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals. This session will provide practical strategies for clinicians to incorporate into their practice and consulting, ensuring that LGBTQIA+ clients feel seen, validated, and supported throughout the EMDR process. Drawing on peer-reviewed research and clinical examples, this presentation will highlight the intersection of EMDR with affirming therapy practices, fostering greater awareness of how identity influences healing. By the end, participants will be better equipped to offer a more inclusive, effective approach to EMDR for diverse populations.

Session 333

Play Therapy Integrations to Heal Attachment Wounds in EMDR with Kids

Jackie Flynn, EdS, LMHC-S

Attachment wounds shape a child’s emotions, behaviors, and relationships, leaving lifelong imprints that can impact future generations. This transformative three-hour workshop equips EMDR-trained therapists with the tools to integrate play therapy into all eight phases of EMDR while maintaining fidelity to the protocol. Discover how developmentally appropriate, nervous-system-informed play therapy techniques can unlock healing for children in ways that words alone cannot. Through experiential activities, case vignettes, and practical applications, you’ll learn to foster safety, build meaningful connections, and support children as they process deep emotional wounds. This training blends the structure of EMDR with the creativity of play therapy, giving you actionable tools to address developmental trauma and attachment wounds effectively. Join us to enhance your practice, inspire hope, and help your clients create a foundation for healing that will ripple through their lives and those of future generations.

Session 334

Go With What? Essential EMDR Treatment Planning

Mary Eason, Ph.D. & Holly Forman-Patel, LMFT

Effective treatment planning is the cornerstone of successful EMDR therapy, especially for complex cases. This training provides clinicians with clear, practical strategies for developing comprehensive treatment plans that align with the EMDR therapy framework. Drawing on years of experience, the facilitators will guide participants through essential principles, common challenges, and creative solutions to navigate even the most intricate cases. Attendees will gain actionable insights to enhance their confidence and effectiveness, ensuring that every client’s journey toward healing is both structured and adaptive.

Session 335

EMDR for Complex Trauma: Incorporating Polyvagal & Parts Work in Treatment

Farnsworth Lobenstine, LICSW & Paula Merucci, LCSW

As clinicians face increasing cases of complex trauma, integrating EMDR with polyvagal theory and parts work offers tools for effective treatment. This training explores modifications to EMDR’s standard protocol to better support clients with complex trauma and dissociation. In this presentation, we will use Fraser’s dissociative table technique (“meeting place”), a tool designed to enhance EMDR effectiveness when working with complex trauma, and we will also focus on integrating parts work and polyvagal theory throughout all eight phases of EMDR to provide stabilization, trauma processing, and overall client healing. In addition, attendees will gain an understanding of polyvagal theory by identifying the three primary autonomic states and will practice interventions to regulate nervous system responses. This training will also provide clinicians with practical, research-based interventions to enhance EMDR outcomes for clients with complex trauma. Participants will leave with applicable skills designed to help clients regulate, engage in deeper trauma work, and heal more effectively.

Session 336

Integrating EMDR and Couples Therapy

Barry Litt, LMFT

Clients engage in couples therapy to resolve issues in their relationship and improve their connection. However, partners’ developmental traumas often undermine their goals—or worse, partners may use one another to re-enact their traumas. Thus, it can be said that many clients enter couples therapy to find a relational solution to an intrapsychic problem. This workshop explores the integration of EMDR into couples therapy, addressing the challenges therapists face when combining these modalities. Participants will learn to integrate individual and systemic dimensions, addressing horizontal (current patterns) and vertical (historical influences) axes of inquiry. Patterns of pathological dependency—the foundation of couples’ conflicts—will be described. Participants will learn a five-step method for transitioning from horizontal to vertical assessment and contracting for EMDR therapy. Participants will learn critical treatment considerations for implementing this integrative approach, including session management, avoiding common pitfalls, and conjoint EMDR (phase four with the partner present).

Session 337

Internal Family Systems (IFS) Interventions During Phase 1 and Phase 2

Daphne Fatter, Ph.D.

While EMDR is considered an integrative psychotherapy, many clinicians often struggle with how to identify which clients would most benefit from a multimodal approach within EMDR. In this presentation, participants will learn clinical indicators that signal the need to consider integrating internal family systems (IFS) interventions within Phase 1 and Phase 2 of EMDR therapy. We will also discuss the complementary principles of IFS and EMDR, including the role of memory reconsolidation. Participants will learn how to apply an IFS case conceptualization and how to make three different parts maps to support a sequenced treatment approach in Phase 1. The self-tapping technique, STARR, and IFS befriending techniques will be taught to support internal communication between a client’s parts and self and to support consent during Phase 2. Participants will learn resource development options integrating IFS with a community cultural wealth lens and will also learn how to use IFS techniques to identify targets, including intergenerational trauma targets. This presentation will also include opportunities to practice IFS interventions.

Session 338

Tree & Seed to Weed: Techniques to Explain Trauma & Display Therapy Outcome

Kriss Jarecki, LCSWR

The Tree of Me uses leaves to represent a client’s good/not good experiences. It’s a fun and engaging way to acknowledge their journey and normalize experiences as well as their reactions to them. Progress is demonstrated as a client works through memories and then takes them off the tree while simultaneously adding leaves representing positive experiences resulting from their hard work. Then, we move to the Seed to Weed technique. This strategy offers an illustrated garden metaphor to guide a client to look at his or her life experiences both not-so-good (weeds) and positive (flowers/vegetables). The Seed to Weed technique provides a graphic means of presenting trauma (AIP), mapping target order (drawing the garden), introducing EMDR (the shovel), and tracking treatment progress (weed pulling). Both provide some distancing with the distraction of creating, and there is a controlled dose as the therapist can stay on a good or not-so-good event as tolerated by the client.

Saturday 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. | Sessions 441-448 (1.5 CEs)

Session 441

Session 441 has been canceled as of September 11, 2025

Session 442

Healing with Humor: Integrating Laughter Therapy into EMDR's 8 Phases

Irene Rodriguez, LMHC, REAT

This 90-minute workshop explores how therapeutic humor and laughter therapy can enhance the adaptive information processing (AIP) model within the eight-phase EMDR therapy protocol. Participants will learn how to integrate humor and laughter as effective interventions throughout all EMDR phases, focusing on building emotional resilience, promoting therapeutic alliance, and strengthening the effective window of tolerance. This presentation will outline practical techniques to incorporate humor safely and ethically during EMDR sessions, including its use as a resource during preparation, as possible interweaves during desensitization, and as an option for grounding skills during closure. Attendees will engage in experiential laughter exercises, gaining first-hand experience in how laughter can create a sense of well-being, support emotional tolerance, and improve outcomes during the reprocessing sessions. The workshop will provide evidence-based strategies and practical tools to help clinicians apply therapeutic humor effectively in their practice while adhering to EMDRIA standards and ethical considerations.

Session 443

Integrating EMDR and Schema Therapy

Liam Spicer, Psychologist

EMDR and schema therapy are effective transdiagnostic approaches that are used across diverse populations with the goal of creating deep and long-lasting therapeutic change. In this presentation, Liam Spicer will provide an overview of the schema therapy model and the adaptive information processing (AIP) model, exploring how these frameworks work together to understand client presentations. Recent research and advancements in both approaches will be discussed. The presentation will cover practical techniques, including using positive schemas to build adaptive memory networks, strengthening the healthy adult mode for trauma work, and formulating processing targets using schema therapy and AIP models. Participants will learn how to apply schema techniques during EMDR preparation and as interweaves to address blocks and barriers. The session includes creative integrations across all EMDR phases, emphasizes the importance of limited reparenting and the therapeutic relationship, and features demonstrations and self-reflective exercises.

Session 444

Relational EMDR Therapy℠: The Power of Connection

Deany Laliotis, LICSW

Many of our clients seek our help to address their low self-esteem, relationship difficulties, and emotional dysregulation due to the formative attachment wounds they endured alone. While they learned to survive their circumstances, they also missed out on a lot of what they needed to navigate the world of relationships in adult life. This workshop is about how we as EMDR therapists can work relationally with attachment trauma to co-create corrective experiences by working with the shared experience moment to moment, both verbally and nonverbally, as well as in and out of reprocessing sessions. In this presentation, we will explore how to use our own curiosity and felt sense to help our clients develop the necessary skills and capacities to be authentic and in the moment, unencumbered by the defenses that helped them survive, and instead, learn to thrive in the world of intimacy and connectedness, both with themselves as well as with others.

Session 445

Integrating Resourcing into the Dance of Healing: Eating Disorders and EMDR

Marnie Davis, LMHC, CEDS-C

This presentation delves into the benefits of incorporating resource development and installation (RDI) within the treatment of eating disorders using EMDR. It explores the role of complex trauma in the development of eating disorders and highlights the importance of fostering both external and internal resources throughout the therapeutic process. Key benefits of resource development will be outlined, including enhanced stabilization, the integration of new adaptive information, expanded window of tolerance, supported reprocessing, collaboration among parts of the self, and the strengthening of a self-led system. Specific RDI will be discussed, with a focus on aligning resource development with the positive affect states associated with eating disorder behaviors. The presentation will encourage participants to embrace the transformative power of resourcing, making it an essential component of the eight-phase, three-pronged dance of healing with EMDR.

Session 446

EMDR Intensives: Creating an Immersive Multi-modal Therapeutic Experience

Jessica Zimmerman, LMHC

EMDR intensives offer a powerful, immersive approach to trauma healing through EMDR. This presentation explores how to design and implement EMDR intensives through all 8 phases of the model that enhances client outcomes through deep, focused engagement. We will discuss structuring intensive sessions, integrating complementary modalities such as somatic work and movement, mindfulness, sand tray, IFS/parts work, and expressive art therapy. EMDR Intensives are tailoring treatment to individual client needs. Key considerations, including assessment, planning, pacing, and price structure will be addressed to ensure a safe and effective therapeutic experience. Attendees will gain practical strategies for creating a structured yet flexible framework that maximizes the transformative potential of EMDR in an intensive structure. Whether you are new to intensives or seeking to refine your approach, this session provides actionable insights to elevate your practice and optimize client healing.

Session 447

Using EMDR to Treat PTSD Related to Traumatic Brain Injuries

J. Laurel Thornton, MA

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) reshape cognition, identity, and emotional regulation, complicating trauma processing. While EMDR is effective for PTSD, standard protocols often require adaptation to accommodate cognitive and sensory changes. This presentation explores the intersection of EMDR and acquired neurodiversity, providing clinicians with strategies for effective treatment. Topics include tailored language, flexible interventions, creative and strength-based approaches, and case conceptualization for TBI clients. By adapting EMDR to meet the unique needs of these clients, clinicians can enhance treatment effectiveness, ensuring alignment with cognitive and emotional capacities while fostering resilience and post-injury adaptation.

Session 448

EMDR Resourcing for Collective Resilience: Allyship and Action

Hannah Hamilton, LMHC, Carrie Mounier, LCSW, & Kathia Lopez Murdock, LCPC

In the face of escalating political and social threats, individuals with liminal identities and those who are part of marginalized communities are experiencing heightened trauma. This presentation explores an EMDR Phase 2 group resourcing intervention designed to foster critical self-reflection, solidarity, and action rooted in a shared sense of belonging. Rather than positioning advocacy as supporting “others,” this approach emphasizes that we are interconnected—when one community is harmed, we all are. Through structured EMDR resourcing steps—including grounding, identifying threats, activating ancestral and communal strength, and reducing ambivalence toward advocacy—participants will learn to strengthen personal and collective resilience. Resistance, big or small, is not just survival; it is a reaffirmation of our shared humanity. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for using EMDR in settings such as community meetings, intergroup dialogues, school-based anti-bullying programs, rally preparation, and domestic violence shelter conversations, transforming trauma into a force for collective healing and action.

Sunday 8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. | Sessions 541-548 (3 CEs)

Session 541

From Chaos to Consciousness: The Transpersonal Role of the EMDR Therapist

Irene Siegel, Ph.D., LCSW

Politics, war, and social upheaval mark a cycle of chaos and transformation. Ancient traditions predict radical change, shifting consciousness from separation to interconnection. Science and spirituality evolve side by side, offering new perspectives on trauma, healing, and adaptation. As EMDR therapists, our role is expanding beyond symptom reduction to facilitating deeper healing and consciousness shifts within a transpersonal framework. Research shows trauma—both personal and collective—can be a catalyst for awakening. As the planetary shadow emerges, we are called to integrate mindfulness, attunement, resonance, and expanded awareness into our work as transpersonal interventions and resources. How can we address trauma within this greater context of transformation? How does the eight-phase EMDR protocol within the adaptive information processing (AIP) model align with transpersonal healing? Through discussion, video, and experiential exercises, we explore the EMDR therapist’s evolving role in addressing personal trauma and planetary change, embracing the profound connection between healing and consciousness evolution.

Session 542

Map the Forest & Trees: AIP Conceptualizing of Complex Trauma & Attachment

Susie Morgan LMFT, BCETS

This presentation provides a visual explanation of the adaptive information processing (AIP) model, depicting adaptive and maladaptive memory networks to illustrate key implications for treating complex developmental trauma with EMDR therapy. A strategic method for case conceptualization is delineated along with relevant practical tools for assessing a client’s readiness for trauma memory reprocessing, guarding against risks associated with EMDR therapy and incorporating attention to the client’s attachment history and identity, race, and culture. Worksheets are provided for decoding the connections between symptoms, triggers, and trauma memory networks, with specific focus on identifying negative cognitions reflective of maladaptive strategies for managing negative affect and unmet attachment needs related to complex developmental trauma. A method for creating comprehensive target sequence plans based on these connections is presented. Concepts are explained via lecture with video demonstrations and detailed slides, which include extensive use of graphics to clarify key points. (Focus is on adult clients.)

Session 543

Session 543 has been canceled as of August 26, 2025

Session 544

Integrating the Processing Continuum into your EMDR Practice

Roy Kiessling, MSW

Many EMDR clinicians are challenged with determining how to process a client’s complex trauma while keeping them within their window of tolerance. This workshop will address this challenge by demonstrating interventions that may be implemented before, during, and after EMDR therapy. Crisis interventions will be introduced along with the processing continuum (EMD, EMDr, and EMDR) and extended resourcing interventions, which not only prepare clients for processing but also help solidify the adaptive learning that occurs as a result of one’s clinical session (EMDR or otherwise).

Session 545

Play-Supported EMDR Research & Implications for Child Trauma Clinicians

Stephanie Beguin-Howard, LCSW-S, Ann Beckley-Forest, LCSW-S & Amber Gentry Lopez, MEd, LPC-S, RPT-S, CHST, BC-TMH

There has been limited research on effective approaches integrating EMDR with child therapy approaches, such as play therapy. Play therapists have been increasingly integrating EMDR into their work as they observe successful adaptive information processing (AIP) outcomes in clinical settings that utilize the therapeutic powers of play as a congruent and powerful treatment vehicle to supply adaptive information in EMDR processing. In this presentation, we will highlight critical findings from recent doctoral qualitative research exploring how trained Playful EMDR clinicians integrate the two modalities to help guide clinicians who provide trauma treatment for children. We will use a play therapy-supported EMDR framework to discuss practical implications gleaned from this growing research, highlighting strengths, limitations, and opportunities for growth using this approach in all eight phases of EMDR, including video case examples to demonstrate Playful EMDR in action as well as implication for consultation.

Session 546

EMDR Therapy for Grief and Mourning

Roger Solomon, Ph.D.

EMDR therapy can be helpful in the treatment of grief and mourning. A significant loss (particularly under traumatic circumstances) can disable a person’s ability to cope and compromise their ability to adapt. EMDR therapy can help process the trauma of the loss and enable the linking in of adaptive information (e.g., positive heartfelt memories), giving the mourner a positive sense of connection. A mourner may have negative memories—unresolved trauma, losses, and attachment-based memories underlying the person’s response to loss—that can complicate the mourning process and EMDR treatment; these may need to be identified and reprocessed. This workshop will describe EMDR therapy treatment and the frameworks that guide EMDR treatment, including dealing with complications such as a mourner equating losing the emotional pain with losing connection to the deceased. Videos illustrating EMDR therapy with traumatic loss will also be included.

Session 547

EMDR at the Intersection of Gender Diversity and Neurodivergence

Cathy Hanville, LCSW

This presentation explores considerations and adaptations of EMDR therapy for clients who are both neurodivergent (ND) and transgender-gender-diverse (TGD). Neurodivergent and TGD clients often face unique trauma experiences, including minority stress, medical trauma, and identity-related distress. Traditional EMDR protocols require adaptation to accommodate sensory sensitivities, executive functioning differences, and gender-affirming approaches. This course will provide clinicians with practical strategies to tailor EMDR interventions, ensuring inclusivity and effectiveness. Topics include the intersection of neurodivergence and gender identity, client-centered pacing, sensory modifications, and affirming resourcing techniques. Participants will gain tools to foster safety, empowerment, and healing in their practice.

Session 548

EMDR Therapy for Anxiety Disorders

Priscilla Marquis, Ph.D.

This presentation will include an explanation of the three-pronged EMDR model for anxiety disorders and the adaptive information processing (AIP) model used in EMDR therapy, including how it applies to anxiety disorders. The in vivo component needed in anxiety disorders will also be explained as will Dr. Shapiro's basic anxiety protocol. In addition, we will also discuss an EMDR therapy approach for OCD, TGA, panic disorder, social anxiety, phobias, somatization, and their interaction with PTSD. This presentation will also include an explanation of interoceptive exercises and how they can be combined with bilateral stimulation. The combination of social skills training and bilateral stimulation will also be explained as a way to increase generalization effects and processing of stimuli associated with social anxiety disorder.

Sunday 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. | Sessions 641-648 (1.5 CEs)

Session 641

Session 641 has been canceled as of July 18, 2025

Session 642

Petals of a Rose: A Teaching Film for Demystifying DID in EMDR Therapy

Jamie Marich, Ph.D., LPCC-S, REAT

Many therapists struggle to navigate dissociation in EMDR Therapy. Two EMDR Therapy trainers and educators, both public about living with dissociative identities, share the film Petals of a Rose to help therapists better understand Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Dylan Crumpler created this film to realistically depict the life of a woman with DID, concerned that DID has been inaccurately portrayed in film/television. Dylan wrote a screenplay with his mother, Holly, who has DID. This presentation also features a filmed talkback discussion with Dylan and Holly, in which Holly speaks about her experience as an EMDR Therapy client.

Petals of a Rose is a helpful teaching tool for EMDR case conceptualization. Participants will view the 15-minute film and talkback. We will explore how an EMDR therapist might proceed if Rose, the protagonist, came into session. Interaction from the audience will be promoted and encouraged as critical clinical thinking skills are honed.

Session 643

Motivational Interviewing & EMDR: Integration and Applications

Steven Halady, Ph.D., LCSW

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based style of engaging others to help them change and grow. MI has been effectively integrated into a wide range of clinical modalities, client populations, and service areas. This workshop will provide a brief overview of MI and some theories for how and why it is effective. Participants will explore strategies and models for integrating MI into their EMDR to strengthen client motivation and support positive outcomes. Participants will also learn an MI-consistent model for skills coaching that is applicable for supporting clients, trainees, and consultants in honing and developing skills relevant to EMDR work.

Session 644

Integrating STAIR with EMDR for AANHPI Veterans with Complex Trauma

Sherry Yam, MSW, LCSW

According to Laird & Alexander (2019), the adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study at the Veterans Administration, 85 percent of veterans who receive PTSD treatment experienced ACE. Despite the prevalence of ACE among the Veteran population exposed to combat and other trauma, there is little information on integrating protocols for developing affect regulation and interpersonal regulation strategies required for trauma processing. STAIR (Skill Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation) is a protocol that shows promise in case studies when combined with EMDR therapy. This presentation uses case studies to describe the integration of the STAIR approach in treating complex trauma throughout the 8 phases of the EMDR Standard Protocol described by Shapiro (2017). We address the importance of case conceptualization on clinical themes and neurobiology of early childhood trauma, in addition to cultural adaptation of navigating the unique cultural dynamic in Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Veterans’ trauma recovery.

Session 645

Brief Intervention Focusing Performance Enhancement for Complex Trauma

Barbara Lutz, Ph.D,

The Brief Intervention Focusing Protocol for Performance Enhancement (Lendl/Foster 1994) may be used when time is limited, quick confidence needs to be built and when working with complex trauma and skill building. Focus is on upcoming performances or events that need to be mastered, rather than targeting past trauma. Anything outside the task at hand is considered an intrusion and addressing it is scheduled separately. Emphasis is on what the client actually can do as far as performing during the upcoming event. In essence, the EMDR protocol ‘s emphasis is on the future template, uploading performance skills before reprocessing blocks.

Session 646

Autobiographical Editing with EMDR

Andre Monteiro, Ph.D.

CPTSD clients seem to have more difficulty in reprocessing the consequences of prolonged exposure to adversity. Reactions to this complexity lead to survival strategies that include adherence to a disjointed personal history, with cognitive and emotional distortions. Despite multiple reprocessing experiences, CPTSD clients lack integrative skills to edit and update their autobiographies.

Trauma work may not enable clients’ brains to morph disturbance reduction and memory reprocessing into post-traumatic growth. Overcoming a tormented childhood requires rescripting the past through the eyes of the adult witness oriented to the present. Sometimes, reprocessing memories from the past, current triggers and setting up future templates requires additional integrative work.

In this presentation we will see examples of long term EMDR CPTSD clients exploring their life synopsis as an integrative tool which synthesizes previous reprocessing experiences, thus enabling adequate autobiographical editing. The procedure is dovetailed with distinct protocol phases. Video excerpts help clarify practical implementation.

Session 647

An Ecocentric and Indigenous Framework for Culturally Responsive EMDR

Jennifer Marchand, MA, CCC, RCAT & Lacey Poltorasky, MA, CCC, RCC

This presentation aims to highlight the therapeutic benefits of embedding EMDR into an ecocentric model of healing. The field of ecotherapy will be presented as an approach to creatively integrating nature-based materials and metaphors into trauma work, specifically EMDR, to enhance healing and cultural connection. The presentation will provide a comprehensive ecocentric framework for understanding the eight phases of the EMDR standard protocol, including nature-based metaphors to describe the AIP model, memory reconsolidation theory, reprocessing, and the three-pronged protocol.

Session 648

Enhancing EMDR: Integrating Body Movement and Art for Trauma Reprocessing

Elizabeth Warson, Ph.D., Erin Spier, LPC, & Johanna Curelo, LPC

This conference presentation introduces an innovative body- and image-based approach to EMDR, focusing on the integration of physical movement and sensory engagement for trauma resourcing and reprocessing. While traditional EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (e.g., eye movements or taps) to process distressing memories, this approach enhances the process by incorporating bilateral physical movement and artmaking to deepen somatic, emotional, and cognitive integration. The use of artmaking serves as a therapeutic tool for shifting body sensations, externalizing images connected with implicit memory and supporting pendulation and titration during reprocessing. By emphasizing bilateral movement and artmaking, this method fosters grounding, emotional release, and memory integration. The presentation illustrates how combining these techniques within EMDR enhances resourcing, promotes self-regulation, and accelerates the reprocessing of trauma, offering a more holistic approach to healing that integrates both the mind and body in the therapeutic process.