Strong VA/DoD recommendation
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. You hold a target memory while following bilateral stimulation (usually eye movements). The aim is to help material that feels stuck in “now” file as “then.”
One of the three trauma-focused psychotherapies with a strong-for in the 2023 VA/DoD PTSD guideline, alongside CPT and PE. Substantial veteran research.
VA PTSD clinics, Community Care, and many civilian therapists. Ask for a trained EMDR clinician, not a one-off add-on.
Still trauma work. Dissociation, incomplete sessions, and untrained providers are the usual failure modes. Not the same protocol as CPT or PE.
Evidence reviewed September 2026. Named sources are being added room by room; start with VA/DoD PTSD guideline (2023) for first-line care.
