References for Podcast Episode 14 - New Directions in OCD Treatment with EMDR Therapy
This episode examines the preliminary and promising evidence for using EMDR therapy to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Host Dr. Andrew Leeds considers current clinical problems: although exposure and response prevention (ERP) and SSRIs are established first-line treatments, many people have incomplete improvement, discontinue treatment, or remain highly symptomatic—particularly when trauma histories, shame, or poor insight complicate recovery.
The episode reviews case reports, case series, and controlled studies of standard and adapted EMDR approaches for OCD. Several small studies report meaningful reductions in OCD symptoms. One randomized feasibility trial found EMDR and ERP similarly tolerable, without establishing that EMDR is equivalent or superior.
Dr. Leeds interviews psychologist Gian-Paolo Mazzoni about integrating EMDR with CBT and ERP for treatment-resistant, trauma-exposed OCD. Later, he interviews Dr. Paula Krentzel and Jennifer Tattersall about the Distancing Approach, which combines EMDR-based procedures with adaptive coping statements that help clients recognize intrusive experiences as OCD symptoms rather than facts or intentions. The episode closes with emerging research directions and a call for larger, rigorous trials.
Below you will find references and supplemental references of the research mentioned in the Episode 14 of the podcast.
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Effects of EMDR Therapy for PTSD
How OCD rewires the brain
(Jijimon, et al., 2026)
References
Böhm, K., & Voderholzer, U. (2010). Use of EMDR in the Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders: A Case Series. Verhaltenstherapie, 20(3), 175-181.
Castle, D., Feusner, J., Laposa, J. M., Richter, P. M. A., Hossain, R., Lusicic, A., & Drummond, L. M. (2023). Psychotherapies and digital interventions for OCD in adults: What do we know, what do we need still to explore. Compr Psychiatry, 120, 152357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2022.152357
Cusimano, A. (2018). EMDR in the Treatment of Adolescent Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Case Study. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 12(4), 242-254. https://doi.org/10.1891/1933-3196.12.4.242
Jijimon, F., Mehak, S. F., Mohammed, Z., Praharaj, S. K., & Gangadharan, G. (2026). Rewiring the OCD brain: Insights beyond cortico-striatal networks. Neurobiology of Disease, 218, 107216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbd.2025.107216
Keenan, P., Farrell, D., Keenan, L., & Ingham, C. (2018). Treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) using Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: An Ethno-Phenomenological Case Series. International Journal of Psychotherapy, 22(3), 74-91.
Krentzel, C. P., & Tattersall, J. (2024). The Distancing Approach: A Comprehensive Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Psychotherapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 18(1), 5-17. https://doi.org/10.1891/emdr-2023-0035
Marr, J. (2012). EMDR Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Preliminary Research. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 6(1), 2-15. https://doi.org/10.1891/1933-3196.6.1.2
Marsden, Z. (2016). EMDR Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Three Cases. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 10(2), 91-103. https://doi.org/10.1891/1933-3196.10.2.91
Marsden, Z., Lovell, K., Blore, D., Ali, S., & Delgadillo, J. (2017). A randomized controlled trial comparing EMDR and CBT for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Clin Psychol Psychother. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2120
Marsden, Z., & Bohm, K. (2023). EMDR Therapy and OCD. In D. Farrell, S. Schubert, & M. D. Kiernan (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of EMDR. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780192898357.001.0001
Martínez Cáceres, G., & Premuda-Conti, P. (2024). ASSYST-Individual Adapted for the Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, EMDR-2024. https://doi.org/10.1891/emdr-2024-0026
Mazzoni, G. P. EMDR: una guida pratica. Indicazioni operative, domande e risposte e protocollo commentato [The contribution of EMDR to the psychotherapy of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)]
Mazzoni, G. P., Miglietta, E., Ciulli, T., Rotundo, L., Pozza, A., Gonzalez, A., & Fernandez, I. (2022). Group Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Psychotherapy and Recurrent Interpersonal Traumatic Episodes: A Pilot Follow-Up Study. Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 19(6), 379-389. https://doi.org/10.36131/ cnfioritieditore20220605
Mazzoni, G.-P., Pozza, A., La Mela, C., & Fernandez, I. (2017). CBT combined with EMDR for resistant refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder. Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 14(5), 345-356. http://www.clinicalneuropsychiatry.org/pdf/8-paper-Clinical17-5.pdf
Miccoli, M., & Poli, A. (2024). Randomized trial on the effects of an EMDR intervention on traumatic and obsessive symptoms during the COVID-19 quarantine: a psychometric study. Front Psychiatry, 15, 1369216. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1369216
Muhammad, D. B. M. Z. A. (2024). Effectiveness of the Rapid Eye Movement Sequential Therapy Program in Reducing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders in Individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Sample of Mothers of Children with Special Needs Referred from Psychological Clinics in Khartoum. Journal of Psychology and Behavior Studies, 107. https://doi.org/10.32996/jpbs.2024.4.2.8
Nazari, H., Momeni, N., Jariani, M., & Tarrahi, M. J. (2011). Comparison of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing with citalopram in treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract, 15(4), 270-274. https://doi.org/10.3109/13651501.2011.590210
Ponniah, K., Magiati, I., & Hollon, S. D. (2013). An update on the efficacy of psychological therapies in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder in adults. J Obsessive Compuls Relat Disord, 2(2), 207-218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocrd.2013.02.005
Potik, D., Moghrabi, F., & Schreiber, S. (2020). Case Report: Pharmacotherapy and EMDR Psychotherapy as an Effective Treatment for OCD Imagery in a Patient with a Psychotic Disorder. Isr J Psychiatry, 57(1), 47-54. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343390813_Case_Report_Pharmacotherapy_and_EMDR_Psychotherapy_as_an_Effective_Treatment_for_OCD_Imagery_in_a_Patient_with_a_Psychotic_Disorder
Pozza, A., Mazzoni, G. P., Neri, M. T., Bisciglia, R., La Mela, C., Fernandez, I., & Dettore, D. (2014). “Tackling Trauma to Overcome OCD Resistance” (The TTOOR Florence trial) Efficacy of EMDR plus CBT versus CBT Alone for Inpatients with Resistant Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Protocol for a Randomized Comparative Outcome Trial. American Journal of Applied Psychology, 2(5), 114-122. https://doi.org/10.12691/ajap-2-5-3
Pozza, A., Mazzoni, G. P., Coradeechi, D., & D’ettore, D. (2016). Immediate outcomes after inpatient intensive CBT for severe, resistant OCD. BPA Psychology Applied Bulletin, LXIV, 15-24.
Pozzato, N., Saccenti, D., Moro, A. S., Sapuppo, W., Lamanna, J., & Ferro, M. (2026). Integrating EMDR with tDCS in Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder: An Opinion Paper. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 20, 0. https://doi.org/10.34133/jemdr.0019
Rüdiger Böhm, K. (2019). EMDR’s Efficacy for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 13(4), 333-336. https://doi.org/10.1891/1933-3196.13.4.333
Sarichloo, M. E., Taremian, F., Dolatshahee, B., & Haji Seyed Javadi, S. A. (2020). Effectiveness of Exposure/Response Prevention plus Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing in Reducing Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms Associated with Stressful Life Experiences: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 14(3), 6. https://doi.org/10.5812/ijpbs.101535
Scelles, C., & Bulnes, L. C. (2021). EMDR as Treatment Option for Conditions Other Than PTSD: A Systematic Review. Front Psychol, 12, 644369. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.644369
Talbot, D. (2021). Examination of Initial Evidence for EMDR as a Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 15(3), 167-173. https://doi.org/10.1891/emdr-d-21-00004
Zenoni, M., Badaoui, A., Brewin, C. R., Milton, A. L., Archer, S., Bloomfield, M. A., & Bisby, J. A. (2026). Mental imagery and its role in the psychopathology and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: A systematic review and narrative synthesis. J Anxiety Disord, 122, 103206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2026.103206