Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing in a virtual setting with trauma clients: A qualitative descriptive study

This qualitative descriptive study explored how EMDR therapists maintain relational attunement in a virtual setting.

Article Abstract

“This qualitative descriptive study explored how EMDR trained mental health professionals describe the implementation of the EMDR eight-stage protocol with clients who suffer from developmental trauma and complex PTSD in a virtual setting. The theoretical framework of this study is how EMDR therapists maintain relational attunement in a virtual setting, and how it is maintained with trauma clients.

The research question was: (RQ) How do EMDR trained mental health professionals execute the EMDR eight-stage protocol in a virtual setting with clients who suffer from developmental trauma and complex PTSD. A qualitative descriptive design and qualitative methodology were used for this study. The sample included 40 EMDR trained mental health professionals that practice EMDR in a virtual setting with trauma clients who provided descriptions of their sessions in an online questionnaire. Of these 40 participants, 14 participants completed a semi-structured interview to provide descriptions of their individual experiences. The data from the questionnaires and the interviews were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s 2022 six-step thematic analysis.

The finds for the research question include four overarching themes: (1) the execution of the eight-stage EMDR protocol with a client who suffers from developmental trauma and complex PTSD in a virtual setting is the same as an office setting, (2) Relational attunement is maintained with trauma clients in a virtual setting, (3) Strategies used to bring a highly dysregulated trauma client back to a regulated state in a virtual setting, (4) Strategies used for a trauma client who is blocking in a virtual setting. This study added to the existing body of literature on how EMDR trained mental health professionals execute the EMDR eight-stage protocol in a virtual setting with trauma clients.”

Article Access

Open Access

Ramirez, R. R. (2026). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing in a virtual setting with trauma clients: A qualitative descriptive study. [Doctoral dissertation, Grand Canyon University, 32577935].  Open access: https://www.proquest.com/openview/cc251502ef65607717648bba5e463cb8/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y