The Lived Experience of Adaptive Resolution in EMDR Therapy: A Phenomenological Study
Journal of EMDR Practice and Research January 1, 2026 DOI: 10.34133/jemdr.0037 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAdaptive resolution in EMDR therapy is experienced by clients as a change process of moving from constriction to expansion through descent and re-emergence. Analysis of interviews with 8 adults in U.S. outpatient mental health settings revealed essential constituents of this process, including transpersonal experiences that appeared to facilitate trauma resolution. Change extended beyond symptom reduction to include spiritual and transpersonal growth. The findings suggest adaptive resolution may be a multidimensional change process, and attending to clients' lived experience can inform research and clinical practice.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 8 |
| Population | Adult clients in outpatient mental health settings in the United States |
| Intervention | Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy |
| Keywords | Lived experience Phenomenology philosophy Interpretative phenomenological analysis Resolution logic Phenomenological method |
| Key finding | Adaptive resolution in EMDR therapy is experienced as a change process characterized by movement from constriction to expansion through descent and re-emergence, with transpersonal experiences appearing to facilitate trauma resolution and change extending beyond symptom reduction. |
Abstract
This study investigated the lived experience of adaptive resolution in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy as both a process and outcome, from the perspectives of adult clients in outpatient mental health settings in the United States. Giorgi’s descriptive phenomenological method was used to analyze interview data from 8 participants. The results were used to answer research questions about the nature and extent of the change, how the experience of adaptive resolution impacts the clinical issues for which a client seeks treatment, and to better understand how trauma resolution is determined. The analysis revealed a phenomenological structure of adaptive resolution as a change process characterized by movement from constriction to expansion through a process of descent and re-emergence. Essential constituents of this process were identified along with the various pathways that participants took to resolve trauma. Findings included transpersonal experiences that appeared to facilitate the resolution of trauma. A further finding was change beyond symptom reduction, including spiritual and transpersonal dimensions of growth. These findings suggest that adaptive resolution in EMDR therapy may be a multidimensional change process, and that attending to clients’ lived experience can inform both research and clinical practice.