November 2, 2026
Live Webinar
Course Description: Advanced course orienting EMDR clinicians to the role of standard EMDR therapy within a treatment plan that includes psychedelic work. Participants are introduced to shared neurobiological mechanisms, the three phases of psychedelic work, and how EMDR supports reparation and integration in separate clinical sessions.
EMDR therapy and psychedelic-assisted treatment have developed along separate clinical tracks, yet they are increasingly being delivered to the same clients — often by clinicians who have strong training in one modality and limited exposure to the other. As access to ketamine-assisted psychotherapy expands across the United States and as MDMA- and psilocybin-assisted protocols continue to move through clinical research and regulatory review, EMDR clinicians are being asked to support clients before, during, and after psychedelic experiences. This three-hour live virtual workshop is an introduction to a more advanced training and is designed to ground participants in the conceptual, neurobiological, and clinical foundations they will need before going deeper.
The course is built around a clear distinction: in the model presented, EMDR therapy is delivered in its standard, full eight-phase form, and the psychedelic medicine work is delivered in a separate clinical container with appropriate medical supervision. The two modalities are integrated at the level of the treatment plan, not within a single session. EMDR’s role is positioned within the established three-phase psychedelic framework — Preparation, Experience, and Integration — with EMDR contributing primarily to Preparation (resourcing, stabilization, and targeting anticipated triggers using the standard three-pronged protocol) and to Integration (using material that surfaces from psychedelic experiences as Phase 3 targets in subsequent EMDR sessions).
Participants are introduced to the neurobiological rationale for combining the modalities at the treatment-plan level — including memory reconsolidation, fear extinction, neuroplasticity, and the complementary effects of bilateral stimulation and psychedelic medicines on regions such as the anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, and default mode network. The Adaptive Information Processing model is used as the conceptual scaffold throughout, with attention to how psychedelic experiences can themselves be conceptualized as targetable memory material within the AIP framework.
The workshop also distinguishes this integration-style approach from in-session psychedelic-assisted EMDR protocols (such as KA-EMDR), reviews scope-of-practice and ethical considerations including the EMDRIA Policy on Sexual Orientation Change Efforts, and concludes with a discussion of the current peer-reviewed evidence base, its limitations, and pathways into more advanced training. Case material and clinical examples are integrated throughout.
Presenter Bios: Wendy Byrd, MA, LPC-S, LMFT-S, is an EMDR Certified Therapist, EMDRIA-Approved Consultant, and EMDRIA-Approved Basic Trainer who currently serves as Past President of the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) Board of Directors. Trained in Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, she has been delivering KAP trainings to clinicians since 2022. Wendy is the cofounder of Connected Heart Therapy in Austin, Texas, where her clinical work focuses on complex PTSD, the healing of childhood adversity and attachment wounds, and EMDR with couples.
Wendy was first introduced to EMDR in 2001 and completed EMDR Basic Training in 2008 and has spent more than two decades as an advocate for the modality. She served on the EMDRIA Board of Directors from 2018 to 2024, including a term as President in 2021–2022, and returned to the Board in 2025 — serving as President that year and currently as Past President. She has been an EMDRIA-Approved Basic Trainer with the EMDR Education Center since 2023 and previously served as a facilitator with the Institute of Professional and Creative Development. Wendy has been featured on Good Morning America and in USA Today discussing EMDR and co-hosts the Connected Heart with
Wendy and Robin radio program. Her current work sits at the intersection of EMDR therapy and Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, and she is an enthusiastic voice on what the psychedelic renaissance means for the future of trauma treatment.
Timeline:
7:45-8:00PST Check-in
8:00-9:00am — Foundations and the Neurobiological Bridge.Review of the AIP model and the standard eightphase EMDR protocol. Overview of the current psychedelic medicine landscape (ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin) and the regulatory/clinical context. Shared neurobiological
mechanisms: memory reconsolidation, fear extinction, neuroplasticity. Complementary effects of bilateral stimulation and psychedelic medicines on the anterior cingulate, amygdala, hippocampus, and default mode network.
9:00-9:10am Break
9:10-10:10am — EMDR in the Three Phases of Psychedelic Work.The Preparation–Experience–Integration framework. Where standard EMDR fits within Preparation (resourcing, addressing fears about the medicine experience, targeting anticipated triggers using the third prong of the standard protocol). Where standard EMDR fits within Integration (using material surfaced in psychedelic experiences as Phase 3 targets in subsequent EMDR sessions). Case conceptualization across modalities.
10:10-10:20am Break
10:20-11:20pm — Models, Ethics, and Next Steps. Distinction between the integration-based model (separate sessions, standard EMDR) and in-session psychedelic-assisted EMDR protocols such as KA-EMDR. Scope of practice, referral considerations, and working with medical partners. EMDRIA Policy on Sexual Orientation Change Efforts. Current peerreviewed evidence and its limitations. Pathway into the advanced training. Q&A
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of the training participants will:
This course is Interactive.
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