Eye Movement Therapy and Cinema

This chapter explores the intersection between therapeutic eye movement techniques (such as IEMT and EMDR) and cinematic practice. It discusses how fictional characters’ eye movements reflect (or fail to reflect) real cognitive processes, drawing from both neuroscience and therapeutic modeling. By analyzing examples from films such as Taxi Driver and Red River , the chapter introduces the concept of Eye-Accessing Cues (EACs) and “Narrative Eye Movements” as a new framework for film analysis and therapy-informed filmmaking. The author calls for a better representation of cognitive processes in cinema and greater care regarding how therapists use films in client sessions.