{"id":33212,"date":"2026-09-01T23:35:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T21:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/martinafino.it\/emdr-pro-e-contro-effetti-collaterali-e-quando-non-e-indicato\/"},"modified":"2026-09-06T08:21:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T06:21:48","slug":"emdr-pro-e-contro-effetti-collaterali-e-quando-non-e-indicato","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/martinafino.it\/en\/emdr-pro-e-contro-effetti-collaterali-e-quando-non-e-indicato\/","title":{"rendered":"EMDR: pros and cons, side effects and when it's not indicated"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Those looking for information about EMDR almost always find enthusiastic pages. They are written by professionals trained in EMDR \u2014 myself included \u2014 and this makes it difficult to form a balanced opinion.<\/p>\n\n

This page attempts to do the opposite: to also talk about the limits, the possible side effects, and the situations in which EMDR is not the right choice. Not because I don't believe in it \u2014 I use it in my work \u2014 but because a person considering a course of treatment has the right to know this too.<\/p>\n\n

The pros: what the evidence says<\/h2>\n

It is a recognized treatment for trauma.<\/strong> EMDR is recommended by international guidelines for post-traumatic stress disorder, based on controlled studies. It is not an alternative or niche technique: it is among validated treatments.<\/p>\n

It often requires less time<\/strong> compared to other approaches for treating single, circumscribed traumas.<\/p>\n

It doesn't require telling everything in detail.<\/strong> For those who struggle to put an experience into words \u2014 which often happens, especially with trauma \u2014 this is a concrete advantage.<\/p>\n

It doesn't involve homework<\/strong> of an exposure-based type, which in other protocols is often the part where people give up.<\/p>\n\n

The cons, stated honestly<\/h2>\n

The evidence is stronger for some disorders than others.<\/strong> For post-traumatic disorder, the evidence is robust. For other conditions \u2014 depression, eating disorders, addictions \u2014 the research is younger and the results less established. Those who present it as a solution for everything are going beyond what the data supports.<\/p>\n

There is still debate about what the active ingredient is.<\/strong> Whether it is the bilateral stimulation itself or the exposure to the memory within a protected framework is still a matter of scientific debate. It works, but the mechanism is not as clear as popular accounts suggest.<\/p>\n

It doesn't work for everyone.<\/strong> Like any treatment, it has non-response rates. It is not a flaw of the person when this happens.<\/p>\n

The quality depends heavily on who conducts it.<\/strong> It is a structured eight-phase protocol, and skipping some phases \u2014 particularly preparation \u2014 not only makes it ineffective, but can be harmful.<\/p>\n\n

Possible side effects<\/h2>\n

They exist, are generally temporary, and it's right to know about them beforehand.<\/p>\n