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Research We fund
The EMDR Research Foundation is committed to advancing the science and practice of EMDR therapy through strategic investment in high-quality research. Well-designed randomized-controlled trials are essential for EMDR therapy to remain in clinical practice guidelines. Our grants support innovative studies that deepen understanding, strengthen clinical application, and expand the evidence base for EMDR therapy. For research to remain up to date for inclusion in practice guidelines, we are in need of replication studies in critical areas.
Our Focus: We turn research into real-world impact by:
Investing in Excellence
Supporting the development and dissemination of rigorous, high-quality research that strengthens and expands the understanding and effective use of EMDR therapy.
Advancing Informed Care
Promoting a comprehensive understanding of EMDR therapy’s range of effectiveness, empowering clinicians and the public to make well-informed, evidence-based treatment decisions.
Improving Lives Globally
Enhancing quality of life by facilitating healing, resilience, and well-being for individuals and communities worldwide.
Through this work, we aim to strengthen the acceptance of EMDR therapy and to bridge the gap between research and practice—ensuring that new knowledge translates into better care, better training, and better lives.
Every grant we fund is an investment in healing, innovation, and the future of evidence-based mental health care.
To ensure the highest standards of scientific rigor and publishability, the EMDR Research Foundation emphasizes the importance of the CONSORT guidelines and requests applicants to align their proposals with the established reporting guidelines.
The CONSORT (link to CONSORT information Page 2 of Grants) resources provide comprehensive guidance for a range of research designs relevant to the study of EMDR therapy, including detailed checklists and examples that promote transparency, rigor, and reproducibility in research.
Review Considerations
Applications that demonstrate clear alignment with CONSORT standards and best practices in research design will be strongly favored in the review process.
Following these guidelines is not optional for competitive applications—it is essential.
Research Priorities
Advancing Evidence Based Practice:
Increasing the availability of quality EMDR research in areas where we already have a foothold in the literature, yet more evidence is needed. Specifically, those areas are in the use of EMDR therapy to treat: PTSD in general and subgroups of military, children and adolescents, depression, anxiety, and psychosis, including the economic impact of EMDR therapy.
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Addressing the Global Burden of Trauma:
Investigating the use of EMDR in disaster response, whether that is natural or man-made disaster. That includes determining the effectiveness of the early intervention protocols, the child or adult group protocols, or the use of EMDR standard protocols in disaster response.
Building Clinical Evidence:
EMDR therapy is being used across several areas of treatment, with positive clinical observations and emerging research indicating promising outcomes. However, more research is needed to build a body of literature in these populations or diagnostic categories. Those areas include, but are not limited to: addictions, eating disorders, dissociative disorders, medical/somatic conditions, and suicidal ideation
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We intend that these priorities would apply to research across the lifespan, so that a study might address, for example, adolescent suicidal ideation, or geriatric depression.
Grant Opportunities
To support these research priorities, the EMDR Research Foundation has established four mechanisms to fund research and dissemination of research on EMDR therapy:
Research Grant Award
$40,000
A researcher who has earned a master’s degree or doctorate in social work, psychology, nursing, or a related field, who is affiliated with a college, university, or research institution, is eligible to apply for this grant. Practitioners/clinicians who possess relevant research experience are encouraged to apply. Collaborative partnerships between researchers affiliated with a college, university, or research institution and practitioners/clinicians with expertise in EMDR are encouraged and preferred. If the research grant is awarded, the affiliated institution must assume responsibility for and serve as the fiscal agent for the project. The principal investigator will assume responsibility for and serve as the fiscal agent for any project without an institutional affiliation. Those practitioners/clinicians who don’t have an affiliation or relationship with an academic institution or have limited experience in research but have a research project they would like to explore are encouraged to apply for our Research Consultation Award. (See below) As an international organization, the EMDR Research Foundation accepts proposals from U.S. and international researchers; however, applications must be submitted in English, and budgets developed in U.S. dollars.
Sandra Wilson Memorial Doctoral Dissertation Grant Award
$8,000
Eligible doctoral students may apply for a grant of up to $8,000 to support dissertation expenses related to research to study the effectiveness of EMDR in one of our priority areas listed above: combat trauma, depression, children & adolescents.
Research Consultation Award
$1,000
Research consultation awards of up to $1,000 are available for clinicians, post-doctoral students, or university faculty interested in conducting research on EMDR and disseminating findings to the practice and scientific communities. The purpose of this award is to facilitate access to the expertise needed in order to advance the development of an EMDR research project, to support the completion of a project or the writing of an article for publication in a professional journal.
Research Dissemination Travel Award
$1,000
The EMDR Research Foundation offers a travel award of up to $1,000 to support the dissemination of research findings by clinicians, doctoral students, or university faculty presenting their research at local, national, and international non-EMDR professional meetings. The travel award must be applied for and awarded prior to meeting attendance. Distribution of the funds will be made after the meeting upon submission of the required documentation.