EMDR Europe humanitarian programs: Development, current status, and future challenges

Abstract

The efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has been well established by numerous scientific studies over the past 25 years. The ability to achieve a rapid resolution of trauma symptoms often after only a few EMDR sessions allows clinicians to treat many survivors in a very short period of time. This makes EMDR an ideal intervention after a catastrophic event. The main objective of this article is to describe how European EMDR Associations have provided interventions in emergency situations. Natural and man-made disaster relief projects in Italy, Greenland, and the Netherlands are highlighted. EMDR Europe Humanitarian Assistance Program (HAP) projects sponsored by Austria and Sweden in the Ukraine and Estonia have provided trainings for clinicians. National EMDR Europe associations have developed initiatives in many other areas of the world, such as in Vietnam (EMDR Italy), Cuba (EMDR Spain and Italy), in Pakistan (EMDR United Kingdom and Ireland), in China (EMDR Germany), and in Kenya (EMDR Germany). These projects illustrate the resilience of the populations affected and the generosity of the EMDR Europe community.