2020 has been a tumultuous year and the Coronavirus has created stress and anxiety in many lives. The upending of traditional face-to-face mental health therapy hit the EMDR community especially hard due to the interactive nature of EMDR therapy. However, EMDR therapists have shown amazing adaptability and resourcefulness in the areas of both practice and research. We want to take a minute and celebrate some of the resources we have seen during this past year.
**EMDRIA Member Insider Tip: Those transitioning EMDR therapy from an in-person to telehealth practice should check out our Online EMDR Therapy page.**
EMDR Resources in the Era of COVID-19
These resources edited by Dr. Marilyn Luber in mid-2020 were compiled to help EMDR therapists during the time of COVID-19. This collection includes resources in the following topic areas:
- EMDR Responses to COVID-19 Around the World
- EMDR-Related Stabilization Techniques
- Early EMDR Interventions
- Early Self-Care Suggestions & Interventions
Peer-Reviewed Research Articles
Bates, A., Rushbrook, S., Shapiro, E., Grocott, M., & Cusack, R. (2020). CovEMERALD: Assessing the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of remotely delivered eye movement desensitization and reprocessing following Covid-19 related critical illness: A structured summary of a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. BioMedCentral, 21: 929. Open Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-020-04805-1
Lenferink, L. I. M., Meyerbroker, K., & Boelen, P. A. (2020). PTSD treatment in times of COVID-19: A systematic review of the effects of online EMDR. Psychiatry Research, 293:113438. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113438
Perez, M. C., Estevez, M. E., Becker, Y., Osorio, A., Jarero, I., & Givaudan, M. (2020). Multisite randomized controlled trial on the provision of the EMDR integrative group treatment protocol for ongoing traumatic stress remote to healthcare professionals working in hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic. Psychology and Behavioral Science, 15(4), 1-12. DOI: 10.19080/PBSIJ.2020.15.555920. Retrieved 10/30/2020 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344932427_Multisite_Randomized_Controlled_Trial_on_the_Provision_of_the_EMDR_Integrative_Group_Treatment_Protocol_for_Ongoing_Traumatic_Stress_Remote_to_Healthcare_Professionals_Working_in_Hospitals_During_the_
Solomon, R. M., & Hensley, B. J. (2020). EMDR therapy treatment of grief and mourning in times of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 14(3). http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/EMDR-D-20-00031
Tarquinio, C., Brennstuhl, M., Rydberg, J. A., Bassan, F., Peter, L., Tarquinio, C. L., . . . & Tarquinio, P. (2020). EMDR in telemental health counseling for healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients: A pilot study. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, online. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2020.1818014
Torricelli, L., Poletti, M., & Raballo, A. (2020). Managing COVID-19 related psychological distress in health workers: Field experience in northern Italy. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, online. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.13165
EMDR therapy and COVID-19 in the news and online
Carson, D. (2020, Nov 19). NAMI working to help frontline workers with new grant. Fremont News-Messenger. https://www.thenews-messenger.com/story/news/local/2020/11/19/nami-working-help-frontline-workers-new-grant/6329256002/
Fabian, R. (2020, April 29). How therapists are adapting EMDR trauma therapy during COVID-19. Yahoo News. https://news.yahoo.com/therapists-adapting-emdr-trauma-therapy-224623524.html
Hoffman, J. (2020). ‘I can’t turn my brain off’: PTSD and burnout threaten medical workers. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/16/health/coronavirus-ptsd-medical-workers.html?auth=link-dismiss-google1tap
Holland, E. (2020, June 15). In a crisis, we can learn from trauma therapy. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/15/health/resilience-trauma-emdr-treatment.html?fbclid=IwAR2BuYiCtrr3eqdv5vtmHTu9-OCnvr7x7HNNiEa4FuYJWB3ACP6B7VtLcE0
Prohaska, T. J. (2020, May 23). Hospitals offer therapy to frontline employees at risk for ‘PTSD-type scenario.’ The Buffalo News. https://buffalonews.com/2020/05/23/hospitals-offer-therapy-to-front-line-employees-at-risk-for-ptsd-type-scenario/
Quinn, A. (2020, Aug 29). Coronavirus pandemic brings unprecedented trauma to NYC’s EMS. MSN News. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/coronavirus-pandemic-brings-unprecedented-trauma-to-nycs-ems/ar-BB18tHTh
Schneider, A. (2020, Mar 25). Hunkering down: 4 brain-wise ways to cope during COVID-19. PsychCentral, The Savvy Shrink. https://blogs.psychcentral.com/savvy-shrink/2020/03/hunkering-down-4-brain-wise-ways-to-cope-during-covid-19/
Solomon, Y. (2020, April 19). Practical tips to overcoming anxiety during the corona pandemic – part 3. The Times of Israel. https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/practical-tips-to-overcoming-anxiety-during-the-corona-pandemic-part-3/
Vinopal, L. (2020, June). Can at-home EMDR therapy help reduce trauma? MEL. https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/can-at-home-emdr-therapy-help-reduce-trauma
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Additional Resources
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- Learn more about EMDR at the EMDRIA Library
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- Search for an EMDR Training Provider
- Check out our EMDR Training FAQ
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