the history of emdr
From a walk in the park to a worldwide therapy
EMDR is one of the more remarkable stories in modern psychotherapy: an idea that began with a single personal observation and, through decades of research, became a treatment recommended by major health organizations around the world.
1987: A chance observation
American psychologist Dr. Francine Shapiro was walking in a park when she noticed that some disturbing thoughts she had been carrying seemed to lose their intensity. Paying closer attention, she realized her eyes had been moving rapidly back and forth. She began deliberately testing the effect, first on herself and then with others, and started developing a structured procedure around it.
1989: The first published study
Shapiro published her first controlled study in 1989, working with people who had experienced trauma, including combat veterans and survivors of assault. She called the method Eye Movement Desensitization (EMD).
Early 1990s: From EMD to EMDR
As her work developed, Shapiro came to see the method as more than desensitization. Clients weren't just becoming less upset; their memories and the beliefs attached to them were being reprocessed into healthier forms. Around 1990 the name became Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and she introduced the Adaptive Information Processing model to explain how it works.
1995: Standards and training
Shapiro's foundational textbook was published in 1995, the same year the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) was established to set professional standards for training and practice. Training programs, certification and a growing research community followed.
2000s–today: Research and recognition
Through the 2000s and 2010s, EMDR was studied in dozens of randomized controlled trials and included in major clinical guidelines. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense recommend it for PTSD, and in 2013 the World Health Organization included EMDR among its recommended treatments for post-traumatic stress in adults and children. Researchers continue to explore how and why it works, and its use for anxiety, grief and other conditions.
A lasting legacy
Dr. Shapiro died in 2019. Today, EMDR is practiced by trained clinicians around the world, and humanitarian programs have used it to support communities after disasters and conflict. At The EMDR Group, we are proud to carry that work forward, one client at a time.
Keep reading: What Is EMDR? · How EMDR Works