Neurodiversity Affirming EMDR: Pathological Demand Avoidance – Understanding and Supporting a Unique Nervous System Response

The growing field of neurodiversity research is shedding light on the relationship between trauma and neurodivergent populations, and this has significant implications for therapeutic approaches like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Neurodiversity-affirming (ND) EMDR aims to support individuals through a lens that respects their unique neurotypes without pathologizing them. Traditional therapeutic models often focus on conforming individuals to neuro-normed standards, which can inadvertently reinforce ableism. ND-affirming EMDR instead emphasizes that all neurotypes are valid ways of experiencing the world, challenging the notion that any specific neurotype is inherently “better” than another (Hanville et al., 2023).

Learn more in this article from the Winter 2025 issue EMDR Therapy and Neurodiversity of Go With That Magazine® by Christine MacInnis, MSed, MS, LMFT.

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