This year, from June 11th to 13th, nearly 2,000 therapists from around the world gathered virtually to attend the EMDR Europe’s 21st Annual Conference, after the cancellation of last year’s edition due to Covid-19 outbreak. The 2021 Conference was a highly anticipated event, and the virtual format offered to a record number of participants a safe space to share ideas and experiences related to the pandemic, to discuss the challenges of the future, and to create a wider and stronger network.
The sessions focused on exploring EMDR responses to the challenges of this decade, and five prominent speakers from the field of international scientific research on trauma and EMDR therapy were invited to speak on the topic: Brandon Hamber (University of Ulster, Northern Ireland), Hee-Sup Shin (Institute for Basic Sciences, Korea), Peter Liebermann (psychiatrist in Leverkusen, Germany, and former President of EMDR Germany), Chris Lee (University of Western Australia and Murdoch University, Australia) and Jonathan Lee (University of Birmingham, England).
During the Conference, the authors of the most innovative research in the field of EMDR therapy received the Francine Shapiro Award, as a special recognition for the outstanding results of their work. Dr. Hee-Sup Shin received the 2020 award for his research entitled: The neurobiological mechanism underlying EMDR therapy of fear disorders; whereas the 2021 award went to Dr. Ifigeneia Mavranezouli (University College London, England) for her research entitled: Cost-effectiveness of psychological treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder in adults, in which EMDR was identified as the most cost-effective treatment for PTSD.
To enable participants to fully enjoy the programme of the Conference, the main track was translated into 7 languages (Finnish, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian and Spanish) and all the sessions have been recorded for on-demand viewing until October.
To see the full programme of the Conference, please visit: https://emdr2021.com/.
