Aims: The current study addresses this gap in the literature by setting out the ai-EMDR framework alongside a case study for illustration.

Materials & Methods: In this single case, therapy was provided over 10 weekly sessions; outcome data were collected pre- and post-treatment and at every session.

Results: After an initial increase in distress, clinically significant improvements were observed in post-traumatic stress, complex post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression. Qualitative feedback indicated that this client found the therapy to be effective, with benefits experienced quickly, instilling hope for the future.

Discussion: This paper provides preliminary evidence that ai-EMDR may be an effective treatment for attachment-informed complex post-traumatic stress, while underscoring the need for further rigorous research to establish its efficacy and generalisability.

Conclusion: This paper provides the conceptual foundations for future clinical investigations of ai-EMDR for complex post-traumatic distress.

Highlights – Implications for Practice

• This paper is the first to set out the ai-EMDR framework and indicate its potential acceptability and effectiveness through a single case study design.
• This work will enable future research into ai-EMDR.
• Clinicians will also be interested in a case example of online ai-EMDR and the ai-EMDR protocol.