EMDR and Perinatal Mental Health

Abstract The perinatal period, defined as the period of pregnancy until one year post birth, is a time of profound development for parents, infants, and families. Trauma during this time disrupts normative developmental tasks, impacting parents, children, and relationships between family members and with others. This chapter explores the application of EMDR therapy as a trauma-focused transdiagnostic treatment that can be used to treat trauma and associated symptoms in the perinatal period. It addresses the efficacy and safety of EMDR therapy with parents in the perinatal period, and describes a conceptualization model and best practices for implementing all phases of EMDR therapy. In addition, recent data from the application of novel online EMDR interventions designed to reduce pregnancy associated birth trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic will be discussed.