The therapeutic relationship and EMDR

Given the diversity of the therapists who are interested in EMDR, an old debate may be fruitfully revived. Does therapy consist of task-oriented collaborative consultation and guidance, or is the negotiation of the therapeutic relationship itself the primary task? To the extent that EMDR may constitute a new treatment context, the role of the therapeutic relationship in EMDR treatment is of particular interest. How much of EMDR is inside the client, and how much is between the client and the therapist? Is successful EMDR simply a function of the client's (guided) internal processing, or is it somehow dependent upon the quality of the therapeutic relationship, or is it both.

Newsletter

English

Ricky Greenwald

Greenwald, R. (1994). The therapeutic relationship and EMDR. EMDR Network Newsletter, 4(1), 10-11