EMDR Therapy and Addiction

This chapter provides a summary of methods of treating addiction-related issues with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. The chapter commences with an overview of the issue of addiction and its complexities, including the issue of comorbidity and common issues in addiction treatment. This is followed by a discussion of how addiction is conceptualized in diagnostic systems and in EMDR therapy. The existing experimental and treatment research base is then discussed, including the empirical evidence for EMDR therapy approaches. The remainder of the chapter outlines the key adaptations and considerations for clinicians in providing treatment. This is discussed in the context of each of Shapiro’s eight phases of the standard EMDR protocol.