A “decisive moment” confirms the origins of EMDR and draws attention to other claims

Critics of EMDR and of its founder, Dr. Shapiro, raise their concerns about the historical context around the origins of EMDR therapy, including aspects of her personal background that they believe are relevant.

Article Abstract

“The widely accepted story that the founder of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Francine Shapiro, developed an interest in eye movements through a chance discovery in 1987 is false. A newly uncovered photograph from 1985 provides what photographers refer to as the “Decisive Moment” (Cartier-Bresson, 1952), and establishes that Shapiro’s interest in eye movements derived from Neurolinguistic Programming. We then show that Shapiro’s early adoption and later disavowal of NLP are best understood in the context of her interests in New Age and holistic approaches to health care, her pursuit of various business ventures, her studies at an unaccredited graduate program, and NLP’s standing in the 1980s. Our findings caution that an innovator’s claims and accomplishments must be considered in the context of an accurate history.”

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Article Access

Open Access

Rosen, G. & Pankratz, L. (2026). A “decisive moment” confirms the origins of EMDR and draws attention to other claims. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, online. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-026-09713-0