EMDR: The Science Behind the Therapy explores the latest clinical research and practical applications of EMDR therapy hosted by Andrew M. Leeds, PhD, Director of Training for Sonoma Psychotherapy Training Institute. This podcast highlights the latest contributions to EMDR research, practice and training. Each episode breaks down current studies, emerging protocols, and implications for clinicalpractice. Whether you’re an EMDR-trained therapist, a mental health professional, or simply curious about trauma treatment, this podcast brings you science-based insights you can trust.

This month, we explore how EMDR therapy is being adapted and scaled to meet trauma where it lives: in hospitals, clinics, homes, and war zones. From meta-analytic evidence on brief, often online group EMDR interventions for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, to innovative group protocols that help overstretched public health systems reach people on long waiting lists, these studies show how EMDR can be delivered efficiently without sacrificing depth or safety. We look at parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders receiving intensive group EMDR over three days, older adults using EMDR to reclaimmovement and daily functioning from chronic pain and kinesiophobia, and Ukrainian clinicians applying EMDR-informed, low-threshold trauma support in the midst of ongoing war. We conclude with a conceptual deep dive into the EMDR Toolbox Method for complex PTSD and dissociation, which offers a structured way of mapping internal states and guiding treatment in highly complexpresentations.

Together, these reports trace a consistent theme: EMDR therapy as a flexible, scalable approach capable of reaching large and diverse populations while still honoring theindividual stories and nervous systems behind the data.

References for this episode at: https://www.sonomapti.com/blog/index_files/EMDR_Research_News_April_2026.html

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