Welcome to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Jun 5
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 9
Free Course by Everything IFS Academy | Therapeutic Modalities Series
Welcome to the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Course for Everyday People (professionals & non-professionals)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, was developed by American psychologist Francine Shapiro, who first glimpsed the idea on a walk in 1987, when she noticed that certain eye movements seemed to ease the sting of a distressing thought. From that observation grew one of the most widely recognized trauma therapies in the world, endorsed by the World Health Organization and used by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as a frontline treatment for PTSD. Its central insight is a hopeful one: that the mind, much like the body, has a natural drive toward healing, and that when an overwhelming experience gets locked away unprocessed, frozen with its original images, feelings, and beliefs, EMDR helps the brain resume its natural processing of that memory so it can finally settle into the past.
This course teaches pure EMDR, with no other modalities blended in, written in plain, relatable language anyone can follow, whether you work in the field or have never set foot in a therapy room. It isn't clinical training for therapists, and the deeper reprocessing work is best done with a trained one; what this course gives you is EMDR made clear, so you can understand how this remarkable therapy works and draw on the parts of it that support everyday life. Each module offers clear teaching, real-life examples, and the practical tools and skills EMDR is known for, and every lesson ends with a simple practice so you can begin using it right away.
This course is self-paced, with no tests, exams, or homework. Feel free to go through it in order, or jump around to whatever interests you most.
Orientation
Module 1 — What is EMDR? Module 2 — Who is Francine Shapiro? Module 3 — The Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) Model
Core Teachings
Module 4 — The Eight-Phase Protocol and the Three-Pronged Approach Module 5 — Bilateral Stimulation Module 6 — Identifying Targets: The Float-Back and the Affect Bridge Module 7 — The Preparation Phase: EMDR's Resourcing Toolkit Module 8 — Setting Up the Target: The Assessment Phase Module 9 — Desensitization and Reprocessing Module 10 — The Cognitive Interweave Module 11 — Completing the Work: Installation, Body Scan, Closure, and Reevaluation Module 12 — Modern Developments: The Flash Technique and EMDR 2.0
Closing
Disclaimer: Everything IFS Academy is an independent educational platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the IFS Institute. While we strive for accuracy, errors can occur, and users are encouraged to cross-reference critical information. These courses, lessons, skills, and practices are offered for educational and self-reflection purposes only. They do not constitute therapy, mental health treatment, clinical training, or crisis support, and they should not be used as a substitute for professional mental health care.
Crisis Support: 🚨 If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, feel unsafe, feel at risk of harming yourself or someone else, or feel too overwhelmed to safely use self-directed practices, please pause this material and reach out for immediate support. Contact a licensed mental health professional, call or text 988 in the U.S. or Canada, or use your local emergency or crisis resources.
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