Frontliners narratives: Qualitative insights into EMDR group therapy during COVID-19
This study investigated the experiences of frontline professionals who underwent EMDR-IGTP during the first wave of the pandemic, to offer insight for psychotherapists conducting emergency groups.
Article Abstract
“Background: The COVID-19 pandemic raised unprecedented challenges for frontline healthcare workers and emergency volunteers, leading to significant psychological distress. To address these issues, EMDR-IGTP (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing-Integrative Group Treatment Protocol) was proposed as a trauma-focused group intervention. Although its efficacy is widely documented, little is known, from a qualitative perspective, about the experiences of frontliners who underwent this treatment during the pandemic.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the experiences of frontline professionals and volunteers who underwent EMDR-IGTP during the first wave of the pandemic, to improve psychotherapists’ knowledge and skills in managing the psychological processes activated during treatment. Method: A qualitative study was conducted within the Emergency Psychology Programme of a northern Italian Health Authority. Semi-structured interviews were performed with 20 frontline workers who had attended EMDR-IGTP sessions. Reflexive thematic analysis was employed to identify patterns and insights from participants’ narratives.
Results: Two overarching themes: (1) the participants’ experiential journey through EMDR-IGTP, encompassing dealing with an unfamiliar treatment and with multifaceted reactions to adverse bodily sensations, be wondered of floating between the present and the past, achieving relief after going through complex reactions and searching for meanings for the lack of benefit; and (2) insights into intervention components, namely psychoeducation, the ‘butterfly hugging’ technique, and the group as both a safe container and a challenging context.
Conclusions: Our findings offer insights for psychotherapists conducting group EMDR in emergency contexts. Psychoeducation and linking EMDR techniques to their theoretical underpinnings can help recipients fully benefit from the intervention. Adequate time should be reserved to create a safe environment and to evaluate how single receivers ‘inhabit’ the group. Future research should address the longer-term impact of group EMDR through longitudinal follow-up of recipients, as well as participant characteristics that shape engagement with EMDR in the group setting.
Highlights:
- EMDR-IGTP facilitated emotional relief and trauma processing in frontline healthcare workers.
- Psychoeducation on trauma and EMDR mechanisms was crucial for treatment acceptance.
- Participants appreciated the group as a safe space, despite individual differences.
- Challenges included initial skepticism, emotional resistance, and difficulty interacting with others in the group.
- Insights underscore the need for personalised approaches and the importance of assessing who can benefit from this type of intervention.”
—Description from publisher
Article Access
Open Access
Torricelli, L., Gasparini, I., Diaz Crescitelli, M. E., Filiberti, S., Remondini, L., Ghirotto, L., Rabitti, E., Rubini, G., Zini, E., & Di Leo, S. (2025). Frontliners narratives: Qualitative insights into EMDR group therapy during COVID-19. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 16(1), 2571253. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2025.2571253
Date
October 29, 2025
Creator(s)
Laura Torricelli, Ivanna Gasparini, Matias Eduardo Diaz Crescitelli
Contributor(s)
Silvia Filiberti, Laura Remondini, Luca Ghirotto, Elisa Rabitti, Giulia Rubini, Eleonora Zini, Silvia Di Leo
Topics
PTSD
Client Population
First Responders/Healthcare Workers
Practice & Methods
EMDR Early Intervention, Group
Extent
16 pages
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Rights
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
APA Citation
Torricelli, L., Gasparini, I., Diaz Crescitelli, M. E., Filiberti, S., Remondini, L., Ghirotto, L., Rabitti, E., Rubini, G., Zini, E., & Di Leo, S. (2025). Frontliners narratives: Qualitative insights into EMDR group therapy during COVID-19. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 16(1), 2571253. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2025.2571253
Audience
EMDR Therapists
Language
English
Content Type
Article, Peer-Reviewed
Access Type
External Resource, Open Access
