A Biblical Analysis of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy and Its Use in Biblical Counseling

Abstract

This thesis argues that Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is incompatible with Scripture and the precepts of biblical counseling.” The first chapter is an introduction to the topic of EMDR therapy and the void in biblical counseling literature surrounding EMDR. The second chapter shows how Dr. Francine Shapiro developed EMDR and then how the psychiatric community came to accept EMDR as a trauma treatment. The third chapter analyzes the adaptive information processing model, which is the leading theory regarding how EMDR works. The fourth chapter presents an overview of why Scripture is incompatible with the premises of EMDR. The fifth chapter presents some implications for how the biblical counseling movement should engage with EMDR.