EMDR Europe is the official professional association of National EMDR Associations, establishing, maintaining and promoting the highest standards of excellence and integrity in EMDR therapy practice, research and education throughout Europe. Today, EMDR Europe counts over 25.000 EMDR clinicians in 31 countries.

Developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a research-supported, integrative psychotherapy approach designed to treat symptoms of trauma and posttraumatic stress. To date, EMDR has helped millions of people of all ages relieve many types of psychological stress. EMDR has been accepted as an effective form of treatment by several major health organizations including the World Health Organization (2013), the American Psychiatric Association (2004), and the U.S. Department of Defense (2017). Studies show that it is possible to alleviate distressing symptoms more rapidly with EMDR integrating it in the regular clinical practice with other approaches.

Since 1999, EMDR Europe pursues the highest standards by providing high quality clinical training and scientific investigation to licensed mental health professionals, to advance the field of EMDR’s application in mental illness, to improve the lives of people affected by trauma and mental illness and by “getting the word out” through enlightened policies.

We deliver certified professional training to licensed clinicians working in the mental health field, continuous educational seminars and conferences, as well as public education through enlightened policies and targeted mental health promotion. We aim at improving the lives of people affected by trauma and mental illness related to stressful experiences and relationships to prevent, promote and enhance mental health. We deliver the highest quality treatment for PTSD and trauma-related disorders by striving to provide, high-quality clinical practise, scientific investigation to pursue excellence and further effectiveness.

EMDR trainings and ongoing education aim at supporting licensed professionals in their personal and professional growth, by enhancing their knowledge, expertise and perspective, in an era in which mental health and social policies have become greater in complexity. EMDR standard training and advanced education to licensed mental health professionals provides opportunities to develop a particular range of therapeutic skills in:

• Clinical practice and treatment with the most diverse populations

• Scientific research

• Disaster relief and early emergency interventions

An obvious field for the present and future research is neurobiology, neuro-imaging and the field of memory processing/memory retrieval/memory consolidation of disturbing experiences. The exact effect of bilateral stimulation is still the object of very active research and is not yet completely understood. The principle and mechanism of Adaptive Information Processing (AIP), and the relationship between mind and body represent important areas of investigation for future research.

There are several reasons why EMDR Europe considers accreditation and continuing personal development to be of extreme importance. In the acquisition and development of skill and knowledge, a clinician moves from being an expert psychotherapist to hopefully achieving a high level of EMDR proficiency and expertise. One of the important ways of achieving this is through accreditation. Accreditation has many benefits:

 Maximises the teaching and learning experience of EMDR training

 Ensures ethically sound and robust EMDR clinical practice

 Enhances EMDR treatment fidelity

 Monitors and maximises client/ patient protection

 Enhances quality control

 Greatly assists in research fidelity

 Integrates in clinical practice, what research in mental health and effective methods show