A new study confirms: EMDR therapy can be done effectively online with remotEMDR

Written by PR Newswire

WORCESTER, England, July 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A first of its kind academic research ^[1] confirms that conducting online EMDR therapy using remotEMDR ^[2], the world's leading platform for online EMDR therapy, is safe, effective, efficient, and relevant.

Watch remotEMDR's video to find out more.^[3]

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based psychotherapy that has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the first-choice treatment for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Covid-19 has forced many psychological therapists to switch to online therapy. A study that has just been published in Frontiers in Psychology, one of the world's top in its field, tested the effectiveness of EMDR therapy conducted through video-conferencing psychotherapy (VCP).

The study was carried out using a web platform called remotEMDR, which enables therapists to deliver EMDR as a VCP. remotEMDR offers a HIPAA compliant video chat with built-in, fully synchronized visual, auditory and tactile bilateral stimuli that therapists can operate and fully control in real-time. In addition, it provides a "Find a Therapist ^[4]" service, an EMDR therapists' directory, that enables clients to perform a highly focused search through remotEMDR's extensive professional index.

About the Study

The research team led by Dr. Derek Farrell ^[5] collaborated with the Universities of Worcester, Northumbria, Ulster, and Massachusetts. Dr. Farrell is a Principal Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Worcester (UK), the President of the EMDR UK & Ireland Board, President of Trauma Aid Europe, Co-Vice President of EMDR Europe Board, and Chair of the EMDR Europe Practice Committee.

Twenty-four participants had taken part in a one-session treatment using the Virtual 'Blind 2 Therapist' (VB2Tr) EMDR therapy protocol that involves non-disclosure of traumatic memory. The study tested the changes in core characteristics of the trauma memory during the treatment, including the subjective disturbance, validity of the cognition, memory intensity, vividness, and emotionality. Furthermore, it explored whether this intervention would be effective for adverse and benevolent childhood experiences.

A pre-test/post-test design was utilized to explore the effect on the trauma memory right after the treatment intervention and 1-month and 6-months later. The research hypotheses were confirmed - there was a significant change in all the memory aspects tested. EMDR via VCP using remotEMDR was found safe, relevant, effective, and efficient for desensitization and reprocessing traumatic memories.

Encouraging Outcomes

The study's results are promising. To quote the study's summary: "the research results suggest VB2Tr EMDR therapy to be an effective, fit-for-purpose, safe-to-use trauma treatment intervention. Additionally, the results highlight its clinical relevance and applicability as a trauma intervention. Furthermore, the remotEMDR software provided a highly effective platform for delivering EMDR therapy as a VCP."

This study is the first of a series of studies planned to be conducted and published in the near future.

About remotEMDR

remotEMDR is an Israeli start-up company founded in 2018 by Neta Gazit, LCSW, EMDR therapist, Lior Gazit, and Tal Bar, both experienced technological entrepreneurs. Mrs. Gazit's idea was to create a solution for conducting EMDR sessions when the therapist and the client are in two different locations. Together, the three developed the platform and launched it not long before the Covid-19 outbreak, just in time to hone it into an indispensable tool used by more than twenty thousand therapists worldwide.

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