Francine Shapiro
American psychologist who originated EMDR therapy (1948–2019).
At a glance
Roles
Adaptive information processing (Proposed the model) and EMDR (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing)
See all 2Main ideas
Eye movements and memory, Unprocessed memories, An eight-phase protocol …
See all 4Books to start with
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures (3rd ed.), Getting Past Your Past, EMDR: The Breakthrough Therapy (updated ed., with Margot Silk Forrest)
See all 3Connections
Post-traumatic stress disorder, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures and 4 others
See all 6
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Francine Shapiro was an American psychologist who created EMDR in 1987.
- She said the idea came on a walk, noticing eye movements eased disturbing thoughts.
- Critics trace it instead to her earlier work in neuro-linguistic programming.
- She spent her career developing, training and researching the method.
Why it matters
- Anyone learning EMDR meets her protocols, textbook and origin story, along with the criticism around them.
Key facts
- Born / Died
- 18 Feb 1948, Brooklyn, New York – 16 Jun 2019, Sonoma County, California1
- Known for
- Originating and developing eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)1
- Education
- BA and MA in English, Brooklyn College; PhD 1988, Professional School of Psychological Studies, San Diego1
- Roles
- Executive director of the EMDR Institute; founder of EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Programs; senior research fellow, Mental Research Institute1
- Key dates
- First study 1989; EMDR Institute 1990; renamed EMD to EMDR 1991; textbook 19952
- Awards
- International Sigmund Freud Award for Psychotherapy (City of Vienna); APA Trauma Psychology Division award1
Roles
Main ideas
-
Eye movements and memory1
In 1987 she observed that moving her eyes side to side seemed to reduce the disturbance of negative memories.
-
Unprocessed memories3
Her Adaptive information processing model holds that unprocessed memories underlie most mental health symptoms.
-
An eight-phase protocol1
She codified EMDR as eight phases, published in her 1995 textbook, now in a third edition.
-
The disputed origin story1
Gerald Rosen and Loren Pankratz show she ran NLP workshops from 1985 and call her walk-in-the-park story "fanciful".
Books to start with
The line under a date fills as it gets older: empty when new, full at 2 years.
-
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures (3rd ed.)1
The primary clinical text, published by Guilford.
-
Self-help techniques drawn from EMDR therapy, for general readers.
-
EMDR: The Breakthrough Therapy (updated ed., with Margot Silk Forrest)1
Popular account of the method for overcoming anxiety, stress and trauma.
Connections
Related
Writes
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and ProceduresBook
- EMDR: The Breakthrough Therapy for Overcoming Anxiety, Stress, and TraumaBook
- Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Self-Help Techniques from EMDR TherapyBook
- The Role of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy in Medicine: Addressing the Psychological and Physical Symptoms Stemming from Adverse Life ExperiencesPaper
Links
Sources
- Francine Shapiro (Wikipedia) (opens en.wikipedia.org)
- The History of EMDR Therapy (EMDR Institute) (opens emdr.com)
- Shapiro F. The Role of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy in Medicine. Perm J 2014;18(1):71-77 (opens pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- What Francine Shapiro thinks (korrents) (opens korrents.com)
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