Autistic people commonly experience co-morbid mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and low mood. General consensus is that autistic people can benefit from evidence-based psychological therapies, with the acceptability and effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy becoming a growing area of interest. One hundred and three EMDR therapists were asked if and how they adapt the standard EMDR protocol to make the process and content more tailored to the needs and preferences of autistic people. We analyzed the qualitative responses of participants to these questions, including barriers and adaptations to all eight phases of the EMDR standard protocol. Overall, therapists emphasized the need for flexibility and responsiveness to the individual client, and the importance of autism-specific knowledge and autism-informed clinical supervision. Implications and future directions are discussed.
Date
September 1, 2022
Creator(s)
Caroline van Diest, Marguerite Leoni, Naomi Fisher, Debbie Spain
Topics
ADHD/Autism/Neurodiversity
Extent
12 pages
Publisher
Springer Publishing Company
Rights
Copyright © 2022 EMDR International Association
APA Citation
van Diest, C., Leoni, M., Fisher, N., & Spain, D. (2022). Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 16(3), 123–134. https://doi.org/10.1891/EMDR-2022-0014
Series
16
Installment
3
Audience
EMDR Therapists
Language
English
Content Type
Peer-Reviewed
Original Source
Journal of EMDR Practice and Research
Access Type
Open Access