EMDR Therapy Quarterly

EMDR Publications Database

A selected summary of recent research added to the EMDR Publications Database

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

A new systematic review focusing on psychological treatments for children aged 12 years and under with trauma-related symptomology (Alkaersig et al. 2026) has been added to the database this quarter. Published in Clinical Psychology Review, the study found that EMDR therapy demonstrated small to moderate effects in treating trauma-related symptoms in this younger population. The study describes the evidence for EMDR as ‘emerging but promising’. It was noted that only 6 EMDR controlled studies were available for the meta-analysis compared with 24 for trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT). Only one of the included EMDR studies employed an active control intervention, leading the review authors to advise that future research efforts should move beyond effectiveness studies (compared with passive controls such as waitlist or treatment as usual) and focus on head-to-head comparative studies between TF-CBT and EMDR for children under 12 years of age. A further recommendation was the need for studies involving culturally diverse samples, as current evidence is mainly focused in Europe, North America, and Oceania.

Also examining the evidence in children and adolescents, a systematic review of trauma treatments for refugee and asylum-seeking minors with uncertain residence status found that EMDR, either as a single intervention or in combination with other interventions (TF-CBT, KIDNET, conversational therapy, or play therapy) produced moderate to high effect sizes, challenging the idea that residence stability is a prerequisite for successful treatment (Nahlen Bose & Diaz 2026). The authors recommend that future research could focus on:

• including younger children (most studies involved adolescents, typically ranging from 12 to 18 years and few studies included children under 7 years of age)
• an equal distribution of participants, as there was a predominance of male participants across most studies
• stratifying results based on developmental age
• longer follow-up: follow-up measures (ranging from 2 weeks to 2–3 months in most cases) were conducted in approximately half of the studies.

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and feasibility studies

Specific delivery methods are explored in many of the trials added to the database this quarter. In the field of adolescent mental health, an RCT demonstrated that virtual reality-based EMDR effectively improved depressive symptoms and neurocognitive performance in adolescents with major depressive disorder (Yan et al. 2026).

Clinical applications for specific conditions also saw new evidence:

• Substance use disorders and PTSD: A trial in the Netherlands compared simultaneous with sequential treatment, finding that simultaneous delivery was preferred by participants and that EMDR is an effective alternative to prolonged exposure in these cases (Lortye et al. 2026)
• Binge-eating disorder: Two RCTs investigated the use of EMDR for adults with binge-eating disorder. A pilot study with Australian adults found that a 10-session EMDR protocol was feasible and resulted in significantly larger reductions in binge-eating symptoms, anxiety and sleep disturbances compared with a waitlist control (Hatoum et al. 2026). A study involving female Italian inpatients with obesity and trauma histories, compared a four-week EMDR intervention to CBT and found no significant difference between the two treatments, as both yielded similar, although small, improvements in depression, anxiety and binge-eating symptoms (Guerrini Usubini et al. 2026).
• Neurodevelopmental disorders (Italy): The EMDR Integrative Group Treatment was found to be a feasible and promising intervention for reducing trauma-related stress in parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (Cavalera et al. 2026).

Research protocols

Several protocols for forthcoming trials have been added to the database as follows:

• DeprEnd EMDR (Pakistan): A mixed-method RCT protocol aimed at culturally adapting and testing the clinical effectiveness of the DeprEnd protocol for major depressive disorder via in-person and online modalities (Khan et al. 2026).
• B.R.E.A.S.T. study (Italy): A protocol for a longitudinal RCT assessing the efficacy of the EMDR Recent Traumatic Episode Protocol in reducing psychological distress in patients undergoing surgery for breast cancer (Ligorio et al. 2026).
• Sky-Flash (Turkey): A protocol evaluating an internet-based EMDR Flash intervention designed to manage exam anxiety and improve wellbeing among university students (Koksal et al. 2026).
• N-of-1 trials for depression (Italy): A prospective observational design protocol to identify individual characteristics that predict response to EMDR therapy for depressive symptoms (Cortado et al. 2026).

Other research

We collect all types of research study design for the EMDR Publications Database, here is a selection of varied types of research new this quarter.

Group EMDR for disaster-affected adolescents (Filazoglu Cokluk 2026)

• Study design: This research used a quasi-experimental convergent mixed-methods design, comparing an experimental group with a control group (N = 120).
• Geographic location: Turkey.
• Research topic: The study evaluated the effectiveness of the EMDR Integrative Group Treatment Protocol (EMDR-IGTP) in reducing symptoms of PTSD, depression and anxiety while enhancing resilience among Turkish adolescents affected by the 6 February earthquakes.
• Findings: Participants receiving the group therapy showed significant reductions in PTSD, generalised anxiety and depression scores as well as improved psychological resilience, although the intervention’s impact on social anxiety and panic disorder was minimal.

EMDR for adolescents with social anxiety disorder (Inci Izmir 2026)

• Study design: A 12-week follow-up study using a single-group design (N = 26) with assessments at baseline, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks.
• Geographical location: Turkey.
• Research topic: The investigator examined whether EMDR is an effective psychotherapy for reducing the severity of social anxiety disorder in adolescents.
• Findings: All adolescents in the study showed clinical improvement by the end of the 12th week, with substantial decreases in anxiety scale scores and subjective units of disturbance.

Intensive EMDR for adults with intellectual disabilities (Bierman et al. 2026)

• Study design: This research employed a nonconcurrent single-case A-B-A design involving six adult participants.
• Geographical Location: Netherlands.
• Research Topic: The study evaluated the feasibility, potential effectiveness and safety of an intensive EMDR programme for adults with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning who have PTSD and complex psychiatric comorbidities.
• Findings: Five of six participants experienced a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms, with three no longer meeting diagnostic criteria. The intervention was completed by all participants without any reported adverse events or drop-outs.

The role of negative cognitions in EMDR outcomes (Collins & Carbajal 2026)

• Study design: A quasi-experimental pilot study (N = 6) comparing an experimental group (no negative cognitions assessed) with a control group (Standard Protocol with negative cognitions assessed).
• Geographical location: United States.
• Research topic: The researchers aimed to determine whether identifying negative cognitions in the EMDR Standard Protocol significantly impacts PTSD and physical symptom outcomes.
• Findings: The study found no statistically significant differences between the two groups, tentatively suggesting that the specific assessment of negative cognitions may not be an essential component for effective memory reprocessing. However, the authors recommend further investigation because of the small sample size.

What else has been added to the database this quarter?

The most recent update to the database was in March 2026, when 39 new publications were added. Newly added publications can be easily viewed by clicking on the ‘NEW’ tag. Within the NEW tag, you can then select further tags of interest to see what has recently been added for specific topics and research types. Table 1 provides an overview of the topics and study designs added to the database this quarter. Please note that topic areas are not mutually exclusive; some publications may appear in more than one category.

Table 1: New research by topic and study design

Topic	New publications added (n)	Study designs
Anxiety	2	Systematic review, quasi-experimental
Children and adolescents	6	Systematic review, meta-analysis, RCT, trial (not randomised), research protocol
Chronic pain	1	Dissertation/thesis
Combat Stress	1	Dissertation/thesis
Complex PTSD	3	Systematic review, dissertation/thesis
Counselling	1	Mixed methods
COVID-19/pandemics	1	Systematic review
Depression	4	RCT, research protocol, quasi-experimental
Eating disorders	2	RCT, pilot study
Equality, diversity and inclusion	2	Systematic literature review, dissertation/theses
Flash technique	2	Research protocol, theory
Group treatment	2	Quasi-experimental
Health professionals	1	Systematic literature review
Intensive EMDR	1	Feasibility study
Learning/intellectual disability	1	Feasibility study
Mental health professionals	3	Mixed methods, dissertation/thesis
Neurodevelopmental disorders	1	Feasibility study
Parents	2	Feasibility study, case study
Perinatal	2	Systematic review, case study
Physical health	1	Research protocol
Prevention/early intervention	2	Systematic literature review, dissertation/thesis
PTSD	13	Systematic review, RCT, feasibility study, quasi-experimental study, retrospective study, dissertation/thesis
Refugees	1	Systematic review
Social anxiety disorder	1	Trial (not randomised)
Stress	2	Systematic review, qualitative research
Substance use disorders	1	RCT
Therapists	2	Dissertation/thesis
Trauma	4	Systematic review, mixed methods, qualitative research, dissertation/thesis
Veterans	1	Dissertation/thesis

How we populate the database (methods)

The EMDR Publications Database is developed collaboratively with the Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research and is provided as a free resource for Association members. If you have not yet accessed this useful resource, you can find out how to do so in the members’ area of the EMDR UK website.

The EMDR Publications Database is a collection of peer-reviewed research and dissertations/theses focusing on EMDR. It contains over 2000 references, many of which have access to the full text. The references are categorised by ‘tags’ (keywords) relating to the clinical area and study type, allowing for easy browsing. The database can also be searched using specific terms of interest.

Searches to populate the database are conducted on the following international databases: MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, and PTSDpubs.

The next update of the publications database will be in July 2026 but, in the meantime, if you have any queries or comments, you are welcome to get in touch at: a.sutton@emdrassociation.org.uk.

If you are an EMDR UK member and wish to request access to the database, please email the team at the University of Sheffield: emdrdatabase@sheffield.ac.uk

Disclaimer: this update reports study findings only; the research included in the database has not been assessed for quality and we recommend that evidence users make their own assessment before applying recommendations into practice. You can find out more about critical appraisal of research here: EMDR UK Association research webinars: Developing critical analytic skills – EMDR Therapy Quarterly