EMDR and Dissociation: The Progressive Approach

After many early cautions about the potential dangers of using EMDR with individuals suffering from dissociative disorders, limited proposals have been offered for adapting EMDR procedures to this specific population. Based on these early cautions, EMDR is still considered by many clinicians as offering interventions that are limited to the treatment of traumatic memories in high functioning dissociative clients and only after a long preparation phase that depends on other treatment modalities. From this conceptualization, the use of EMDR is strongly limited and many survivors of severe traumatization are seen as unable to benefit from EMDR and, if at all, only much later in the treatment process.

Gonzalez & Mosquera (2012) have developed and articulate in this book their progressive approach model for treating complex trauma and dissociation. Using this model, clinicians can safely utilize a wide range of EMDR interventions from early in the preparatory phase of treatment for patients with dissociative disorders. Numerous clinical case examples illustrate interventions with EMDR for dissociative clients following this model allowing clinicians to safely utilize a wide range of EMDR interventions from early in the preparatory phase of treatment for patients with dissociative disorders. EMDR therapists will learn new interventions to implement at different phases of treatment.