In the News: October 31, 2025

In the News

EMDRIA member Shanna Reyes, LCMHC-S advocates for EMDR therapy benefits in crisis situations in North Carolina’s WECT News6 report “Southport Fire Chief Reacts to Mass Shooting on Saturday.” The report shares that the North Carolina Trauma Recovery Network (NCTRN) is offering four pro bono EMDR therapy sessions for individuals directly impacted by the recent Southport shooting incident.

_______________________

EMDR therapy is named as part of an inmate’s mental health journey that helped “build honest relationships to improve my sense of who and what I am…. recently a psychologist has recommended in my parole reports that I be released.” More in InsideTime: The National Newspaper for Prisoners & Detainees article “Big Thanks from IPP Prisoner.”

_______________________

BBC article “Arena Bomb Survivors ‘Feel Forgotten About‘” reports on the experiences of survivors of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing after an Ariana Grande concert. EMDR therapy was one survivor’s treatment of choice, but the article reports difficulty in accessing and receiving the quality of therapy desired, as well as the time for therapy completion that the survivors felt was needed.

_______________________

EMDRIA member Bonnie Rumilly, LCSW, EMT-B co-authored a book just released called Helping the Helpers: The Clinician’s Guide to First Responder Mental Wellness with a chapter focused on ‘EMDR and Healing from Trauma.’ Rumilly, with her personal background as a first responder, is a passionate advocate for EMDR therapy to support first responders, writing a Focal Point blog 10 Tips for EMDR Therapists working with First Responders.

_______________________

Rapper and producer Lil Jon talks about how EMDR helped him get to the root of childhood trauma in this Breakfast Club podcast, “Lil Jon Reveals How EMDR Therapy Unlocked Childhood Trauma.”

_______________________

Medical Dialogues article “EMDR Therapy Shows Effectiveness in Treating Personality Disorders: JAMA” reports on recent research that “provides compelling evidence that trauma-focused approaches like EMDR can substantially reduce the severity of personality disorder symptoms.” Check out the open-access JAMA article via the EMDRIA Library here.

_______________________

EMDR therapy is part of a dad’s healing journey after losing his daughter as reported in KSL.com news report “10 Years After Losing Daughter in Crash, Idaho Dad hopes to Help Other Parents Heal.”

_______________________

Banner Health’s blog “Living With Chronic Pain? How EMDR Therapy May Help” discusses how EMDR therapy helps with chronic pain.

_______________________

“Valerie Bertinelli Reveals How Appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show Inspired Her New Memoir” in People article reports how the celebrity chef and cookbook author Bertinelli tried “EMDR therapy has been ‘life saving’ for coping with childhood trauma she had put off talking about…. “I talk all about it in the book.” New York Post’s article “What is EMDR? The Practice Valerie Bertinelli Says Helped her ‘Immensely’ Through ‘Mental and Emotional Beadowns‘” shares more.

_______________________

EMDR therapy is used to help athletes overcome performance difficulties as reported in the WHAS11ABC news report “Failures on Sports’ Biggest Stages Provide Unique Glimpse Into How to Overcome Adversity.”

_______________________

Psyche article “How EMDR Helped Me Become More Peaceful With My Past… But Left Me With Me in the Present” presents a personal story about how EMDR therapy helped author Chelsea Branch move from feeling stuck in the trauma memories in her past to feel more present in her day to day life.

_______________________

Professional golfer Zach Bauchou shares how EMDR therapy helped him hone his mental game and swing in Monday Q article “From Shooting 100 to the PGA Tour: How Zach Bauchou Lost His Game and Found His Way to the PGA Tour.”

_______________________

Actress and singer Demi Lovato “specifically mentioned utilizing EMDR therapy as an integral part of her healing process, a testament to her proactive engagement with her emotional recovery,” reports MSN article “Beyond the Limelight: How 14 Celebrities Navigate Profound Loss to Inspire Growth and Find Renewed Purpose.”

_______________________

EMDR therapy for Minnesota veterans and their spouses is the point of a MN fundraiser “2nd Annual ‘Sweat For Vets’ At Canal Park” event, as reported in the WDIOABC news report. EMDRIA Member Jonna Phillips, LMFT is featured in “Sweat For Vets Fundraiser Brings Saunas and Cold Plunges to Lake Superior” which shares more about the fundraiser, EMDR therapy, and Veterans For Resilience Project.

_______________________

Barcelona-based University article “Researchers Study a New Approach to Prevent Post-traumatic Symptoms of Perinatal Loss” discusses recent research investigating an EMDR recent traumatic episode protocol (EMDR-RTEP) as a preventive intervention for post-traumatic symptoms after perinatal loss. The research study is accessible through the EMDRIA library here.

_______________________

Back to Focal Point Blog Homepage