EMDR Therapy Quarterly

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

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Evidence for treating non-PTSD mental health conditions continues to grow. A meta-analysis and systematic review of the effectiveness of trauma-focused interventions for individuals with psychosis, including EMDR, found that EMDR significantly reduced PTSD symptoms both post-treatment and at a six-month follow-up compared with treatment-as-usual (Mason et al. 2026). Furthermore, EMDR was noted for its potential to reduce positive psychotic symptoms immediately following treatment, but the effect was not sustained at 6-month follow-up.  A mixed-methods systematic review highlights the role of mental imagery in body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), suggesting that imagery-based interventions like EMDR appear to be both feasible and clinically relevant for addressing the intrusive, vivid imagery characteristic of the condition (Hill et al. 2026). For perinatal mental health, a scoping review of EMDR for birth trauma (O’Donovan et al. 2026) found the therapy to be a promising intervention, though researchers emphasised the need for more diverse samples and long-term data.

Regarding collective trauma, a meta-analysis of the Group Traumatic Episode Protocol (Dalkilinc & Satici, 2026) demonstrated a large effect size in reducing PTSD symptoms, supporting its use as a feasible and effective intervention after disasters or social violence.

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and feasibility studies

Two RCTs focus on PTSD in children and/or adolescents. The “KIEM study,” a three-arm RCT (Velu et al. 2026), found that both EMDR and KIDNET significantly reduced PTSD symptoms in refugee minors compared to a waitlist control. Notably, EMDR showed a significantly greater reduction in clinician-rated PTSD symptom severity than KIDNET. Another study focusing on adolescents indicated that, while group-based EMDR is perceived as more feasible by those with higher resilience,  adolescents with higher levels of post-traumatic stress reported lower feasibility scores.  Key barriers included emotional dysregulation, confidentiality concerns, and scheduling difficulties.  The authors recommend that psychoeducational preparation, logistical flexibility, and attention to emotional safety are essential to support adolescent engagement in post-disaster mental health interventions (Cokluck 2026).

An RCT involving patients with major depressive disorder (Behnammoghadam et al. 2026) found that EMDR significantly reduced internalised stigma compared to standard treatment, with benefits maintained at a three-month follow-up. A feasibility RCT investigating the combination of Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Skills Training and EMDR for patients with comorbid borderline personality disorder and psychological trauma found that the integrated approach significantly reduced dissociative symptoms from baseline to post-phase 2 (Soler et al. 2026).  The authors recommend that a fully powered RCT is conducted to confirm the findings.

Comparisons between EMDR and CBT also featured in this latest database update. A trial with earthquake survivors in Turkey (Cinaroglu et al. 2026) found that remotely delivered EMDR and CBT both produced large reductions in PTSD symptoms (compared with a wait-list control group) and moderate-to-large improvements in depression and anxiety, with EMDR showing a tendency toward greater reduction in core PTSD symptoms.

In patients with co-occurring substance use disorders (SUD) and PTSD, a trial comparing simultaneous and sequential delivery found that adding EMDR to SUD treatment improved several psychosocial outcomes at 3-month follow-up and that simultaneous delivery of treatment provided faster benefits (Faber et al. 2026).

UK-Based Research

Several recent additions to the database are UK-specific evidence, covering diverse populations and conditions:

• Healthcare Workers and COVID-19: A study by Barron et al (2026) was conducted with 62 healthcare workers who sought support from the Trauma Response Network UK (the national EMDR response to mass trauma) during the first six months of the pandemic. The research found that while these professionals reported high levels of PTSD and depression, they also experienced moderate posttraumatic growth (PTG). Greater PTG was associated with higher resilience and lower PTSD.
• Bipolar Disorder: Utilising a Delphi method, Nicholls et al. (2026) established expert consensus on how EMDR can be best adapted for trauma-focused work within bipolar disorder.
• Functional Neurological Disorder (FND): Participants in the UK-based MODIFI RCT evaluating the feasibility of using EMDR for people with FND, shared their experiences of diagnosis and care. Qualitative findings by Pritomanova et al. (2026) emphasised the need for personalised, compassionate care and increased service provision for those navigating life with FND.
• Older Adults: A qualitative thesis by Blackford-Jones (2025) involved clinicians from two NHS trusts to explore EMDR for older adults. The study identified key themes in adapting the eight-phase protocol to meet the specific cognitive and emotional needs of later life.

Neurodivergent Populations

New research evaluated the EMDR storytelling method for adults with severe intellectual disabilities and PTSD (Hoogstad et al. 2026), showing significant reductions in PTSD symptoms and dysfunctional behaviours immediately after EMDR therapy and at three-month follow-up at group level.  At individual level reductions in PTSD symptoms were observed in most participants, whereas results for dysfunctional behaviours were mixed.  The authors conclude that the study provides preliminary support for the safety, suitability, and potential efficacy of the EMDR storytelling method in reducing PTSD symptoms for this population.

Mechanisms of Change

Two new doctoral dissertations exploring the mechanisms of change.  A grounded theory study on EMDR therapists’ use of empathic attunement, describes it as a bidirectional psychophysiological process where therapists use client cues to pace processing and adjust bilateral stimulation (Herman 2026). A dissertation on scene construction ability in PTSD across adolescence and adulthood (Marlette 2026) suggests that lateral eye movements may equalise fixation rates while reducing the subjective quality of distressing imagery, providing insight into the therapeutic mechanisms of EMDR.

Additional Research

Research into anxiety disorders extended to performance-related issues. A case series demonstrated that EMDR was effective in reducing test-taking anxiety among obstetrics and gynaecology residents with poor performance in the United States, leading to improved scores on qualifying board exams (DeCesare et al. 2026).

A doctoral dissertation conducting qualitative research into virtual delivery of the eight-stage protocol for complex trauma found that relational attunement can be effectively maintained in a remote setting (Ramirez 2026).

What else has been added to the database this quarter?

The most recent update to the database was in July 2026, when 47 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	Pilot study, case-series
Autism Spectrum Disorder	1	Case report
Bipolar Disorders	1	Qualitative research
Body Dysmorphic Disorder	1	Systematic review
Children and adolescents	5	RCT, Feasibility study, narrative reviews, Dissertation/thesis
Chronic pain	1	Dissertation/thesis
COVID-19/pandemics	1	Retrospective study
Depression	2	RCT, survey
Disassociation	1	Meta-analysis
Domestic violence	1	Literature review
Equality, diversity and inclusion	2	Dissertations/theses
Forensic settings	1	Case series
Functional neurological disorders	1	Qualitative research
Group treatment	2	Meta-analysis, feasibility study
Health professionals	1	Retrospective study
Learning/intellectual disability	1	Single-case experimental design
Mechanisms of action	2	Quasi-experimental, narrative review
Natural disasters	1	RCT
Older adults	1	Dissertations/thesis
Online EMDR	3	RCT, Dissertations/theses
Perinatal	2	Scoping review, research protocol
Personality disorder	1	Feasibility study
Physical health	4	Systematic review, scoping review, quasi-experimental, literature review
Psychosis	1	Systematic review
PTSD	12	Meta-analyses, systematic review, narrative review, RCTs, cohort study, single-case experimental design, literature reviews, dissertation/thesis
Refugees	1	RCT
Road traffic accidents	1	Narrative review
Substance use disorders	1	RCT
Therapists	6	Cohort study, cross-sectional study, Dissertations/theses
Trauma	7	Systematic review, RCT, feasibility study, qualitative research, dissertations/theses
Traumatic brain injury	1	Case report

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 October 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.ukDisclaimer: 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