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Research We fund
The EMDR Research Foundation is committed to advancing the science and practice of EMDR therapy through strategic investment in high-quality research. Well-designed randomized-controlled trials are essential for EMDR therapy to remain in clinical practice guidelines. Our grants support innovative studies that deepen understanding, strengthen clinical application, and expand the evidence base for EMDR therapy. For research to remain up to date for inclusion in practice guidelines, we are in need of replication studies in critical areas.
Our Focus: We turn research into real-world impact by:
Investing in Excellence
Supporting the development and dissemination of rigorous, high-quality research that strengthens and expands the understanding and effective use of EMDR therapy.
Advancing Informed Care
Promoting a comprehensive understanding of EMDR therapy’s range of effectiveness, empowering clinicians and the public to make well-informed, evidence-based treatment decisions.
Improving Lives Globally
Enhancing quality of life by facilitating healing, resilience, and well-being for individuals and communities worldwide.
Through this work, we aim to strengthen the acceptance of EMDR therapy and to bridge the gap between research and practice—ensuring that new knowledge translates into better care, better training, and better lives.
Every grant we fund is an investment in healing, innovation, and the future of evidence-based mental health care.
To ensure the highest standards of scientific rigor and publishability, the EMDR Research Foundation emphasizes the importance of the CONSORT guidelines and requests applicants to align their proposals with the established reporting guidelines.
The CONSORT resources provide comprehensive guidance for a range of research designs relevant to the study of EMDR therapy, including detailed checklists and examples that promote transparency, rigor, and reproducibility in research.
Review Considerations
Applications that demonstrate clear alignment with CONSORT standards and best practices in research design will be strongly favored in the review process.
Following these guidelines is not optional for competitive applications—it is essential.
Research Priorities
Advancing Evidence Based Practice:
Increasing the availability of quality EMDR research in areas where we already have a foothold in the literature, yet more evidence is needed. Specifically, those areas are in the use of EMDR therapy to treat: PTSD in general and subgroups of military, children and adolescents, depression, anxiety, and psychosis, including the economic impact of EMDR therapy.
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Addressing the Global Burden of Trauma:
Investigating the use of EMDR in disaster response, whether that is natural or man-made disaster. That includes determining the effectiveness of the early intervention protocols, the child or adult group protocols, or the use of EMDR standard protocols in disaster response.
Building Clinical Evidence:
EMDR therapy is being used across several areas of treatment, with positive clinical observations and emerging research indicating promising outcomes. However, more research is needed to build a body of literature in these populations or diagnostic categories. Those areas include, but are not limited to: addictions, eating disorders, dissociative disorders, medical/somatic conditions, and suicidal ideation
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We intend that these priorities would apply to research across the lifespan, so that a study might address, for example, adolescent suicidal ideation, or geriatric depression.
Grant Opportunities
To support these research priorities, the EMDR Research Foundation has established four mechanisms to fund research and dissemination of research on EMDR therapy:
