Online continuing education for psychologists and psychotherapists — 8 self-paced modules with a certificate of completion.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is today one of the most widely recognized approaches in the treatment of trauma, recommended for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by the WHO, the HAS and NICE. But how does it actually work? What are its presumed mechanisms, its indications, and above all its limitations? This course sets out to answer these questions with rigour and nuance.

Designed as a genuine journey into clinical understanding, it allows you to understand EMDR from the inside: its history, its theoretical model (the AIP), the neurobiological hypotheses that attempt to explain it, the unfolding of its eight-phase protocol, as well as the full range of its indications and contraindications. The aim: to give you the keys to assess the relevance of the method and to refer your patients with sound judgment.

Important. This course is introductory and theoretical. It is designed to help you understand and situate EMDR; it does not confer any competence to practise it. The clinical practice of EMDR requires certified training (levels 1 and 2, with supervision) delivered by a recognized organization — EMDR France or EMDR Europe.

Who is this course for?
Psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists and mental health professionals who wish to:

• understand the foundations and mechanisms of EMDR;
• know when, and to whom, to refer a patient;
• critically assess the level of evidence according to the condition;
• discuss the method accurately with their patients and colleagues.

Learning objectives
By the end of this course, the participant will be able to:

• Trace the history and emergence of EMDR, from Francine Shapiro's discovery to its institutional recognition (WHO, HAS, NICE).
• Explain the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model and the notion of a "dysfunctionally stored" memory, to a colleague as well as to a patient.
• Describe the main neurobiological hypotheses (working memory load, REM sleep, orienting response) and distinguish what research supports from what remains debated.
• Understand the logic of the standard eight-phase protocol and the decisive role of the preparation and stabilization phases.
• Position PTSD as the reference indication and differentiate single-incident trauma from complex trauma.
• Assess the relevance of EMDR beyond trauma (phobias, grief, depression, anxiety, chronic pain, addictions) according to the levels of evidence.
• Identify contraindications and sensitive populations (dissociation, psychosis, personality disorders, children, medical situations) and the risks of destabilization.
• Identify the clinical situations in which to refer a patient to a certified EMDR therapist — and those in which it is preferable to wait.
• Adopt a critical and balanced stance toward the controversies (the role of eye movements, the kinship with exposure) and integrate EMDR without dogmatism.

Programme — 8 modules

1. The history and emergence of EMDR — origins, evolution and recognition of the method.
2. The Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model — "improperly stored" memories, memory networks and reprocessing.
3. Neurobiology and explanatory hypotheses — bilateral stimulation, working memory, REM sleep: what is established, what remains hypothetical.
4. The standard eight-phase protocol — from history-taking to re-evaluation, by way of desensitization and installation.
5. PTSD and trauma: the reference field — levels of evidence, single-incident vs complex trauma, the importance of stabilization.
6. Beyond trauma: clinical extensions — phobias, grief, depression, anxiety, chronic pain, addictions.
7. Contraindications and sensitive populations — dissociation, psychosis, children, older adults, medical situations.
8. Controversies, debates and perspectives — the actual role of eye movements, integration into practice, patient referral.

Format and details

• Format: 8 online video modules, to follow at your own pace.
• Assessment: a final 20-question quiz (True / False) covering the entire course.
• Level: introductory — no prior knowledge of EMDR required.