EMDR and the power, threat, meaning framework

This article explores the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model of EMDR and the Power, Threat, Meaning Framework (PTMF).

Article Abstract

“EMDR has been criticised for adopting a medical model that locates the ‘problem’ within the individual, potentially leading to the inappropriate cross-cultural imposition of Western models of psychological distress. The Power, Threat, Meaning Framework (PTMF) conceptualises a narrative understanding of distress as an alternative to the medical model and emphasises the importance of meaning-making, which draws upon community and cultural understandings of distress. This paper discusses the commonalities between the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model and the PTMF, including regarding different forms of distress as an adaptive response and restoring the links between adverse and/or traumatic life experiences and subsequent distress. This paper argues that the AIP model aligns more closely with the concepts of the PTMF than with the medical model and that delivering EMDR from a PTMF perspective may help address the aforementioned criticisms.”

—Description from publisher

Article Access

Open Access

Colbert, S. (2025, Spring). EMDR and the power, threat, meaning framework. EMDR Therapy Quarterly. https://etq.emdrassociation.org.uk/2025/05/14/emdr-and-the-power-threat-meaning-framework/