Increasingly, EMDR clinicians are utilizing modifications of the standard protocol to hear and repair very early trauma in the attachment period (Paulsen, 2017). Although some have addressed the challenges of doing EMDR with those on the autism spectrum (Sherri Paulson, 2023; Sandra Paulsen, 2024) to date, there has been little emphasis on how to do that Early Trauma work (sometimes called the Early Trauma Protocol) with autistic adults.  There is also a trend towards more work using the intensive format (Paulsen, 2017), such as half or full days for one or more days, but with little guidance on modifications needed for the adult autistic population.

This online course will introduce the early trauma EMDR approach, provide an overview of key features of autism relevant to doing clinical work, highlight the role of chronic traumatization, somatic dissociation, and alexithymia in EMDR target selection and processing, and provide an overview of the intensive format and risks for this population.