The Need

All over the world, traumatizing events and conditions (war, domestic terrorism, criminal violence, natural disasters, poverty, diseases, accidents and more) are extensive and ongoing. Massive unmet needs for trauma relief exist. EMDR-based Early Intervention (EMDR-EI) protocols allow much larger numbers of traumatized people to receive effective services. Therefore EMDR-EI offers an exciting opportunity to meet these needs, both among well-resourced and disadvantaged populations.

EMDR Therapy has, over the past 25 years, established itself as a top-level treatment for PTSD— in a clinical setting. However, EMDR methods are increasingly being applied as part of early interventions following traumatic events, by individual practitioners and by organizational services. Whether it’s individual clinicians or agencies treating their clients, or big projects serving groups of people in humanitarian settings, EMDR-EI offers the potential for large-scale trauma relief. To realize that potential requires greater articulation and understanding of EMDR-based methods among EMDR practitioners and other stakeholders, increased collaboration among professional leaders and researchers, and skillful adaptations to local realities.

The Purpose

This conference will be a first-ever global teaching-learning event to present leading EMDR-EI methods, research and implementation practices. Presenters at the conference are pioneers in the realm of EMDR-EI and will speak to the needs of individual EMDR practitioners, humanitarian aid workers, and researchers. Participants will be informed about

(i) cutting edge developments in individual and group protocols
(ii) results from a wide range of organized intervention services and projects
(iii) special interventions for first responders

This teaching-learning event will also offer optional special EMDR-EI training opportunities for EMDR professionals, given by two innovators in the field, Dr. Elan Shapiro and Dr. Nacho Jarero.

The conference will also hear first-hand experiences concerning ground-breaking task sharing, with allied professional and non-specialist involvement, especially in under-resourced regions. As a means to scale up the novel resources offered by EMDR-EI, simplified protocols and the safe engagement of allied professionals and non-specialists will be discussed. Moderated panel presentations will highlight and integrate new findings into guidelines for day-to-day practices in high- and low- to middle-income countries.

Overall, this conference is designed to increase awareness, improve clinical skills, promote research, and to foster collaborative development of effective EMDR-EI. This conference also serves as a call to action to bring the benefits of EMDR-EI to a much greater number of people everywhere.

Attendance options include on-site, via livestream, or via delayed viewing of the recorded conference.

Conference Outcome Goals

  1. Develop clinician EMDR-EI specialty skills
  2. Build EMDR-EI response capacity: clinicians, agencies, communities, and global regions
  3. Advance EMDR-EI research and intervention strategies
  4. Encourage the integration of EMDR-EI in mental health initiatives worldwide
  5. Facilitate collaboration and policy development among EMDR stakeholders

Conference proceeds will support research and efforts to help bring EMDR EI trauma care services ‘to scale’ at a global level