EMDR and the role of the clinician in psychotherapy evaluation: towards a more comprehensive integration of science and practice.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been consistently evaluated as efficacious in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The information processing model that guides its clinical application posits that EMDR should be effective in treating other psychological disorders that have experiential contributors. Research is needed to assess such applications. This special issue features three case series in which EMDR was applied to the treatment of complex PTSD, phobias, and chronic pain, respectively. The authors discuss deficits in the research literature, provide preliminary data on EMDR treatment of these conditions, and offer descriptive guidelines for evaluation that are achievable by the practicing clinician. Two additional articles offer preliminary data on physiological and cognitive/affective concomitants of therapeutic change. It is argued that clinicians should play a greater role in the rigorous and extensive examination of psychological treatments in the context of the exigencies of clinical practice.