EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing)

EMDR is a trauma-focused psychotherapy developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s. The treatment combines elements of exposure therapy with structured bilateral stimulation (often eye movements) while the patient recalls traumatic memories. EMDR is one of the WHO-recommended first-line treatments for PTSD alongside trauma-focused CBT.

For Black patients with PTSD related to community violence, policing trauma, medical trauma, or intergenerational trauma, EMDR can be particularly useful because it does not require extensive verbal disclosure of the traumatic event.