EMDR 2.0 isn’t a whole new therapy — think of it as the classic EMDR you’ve heard of, but dialed up. Dr. Ad de Jongh and Dr. Suzy Matthijssen, clinicians and researchers from the Netherlands, developed it by taking a closer look at how the brain’s “working memory” and “emotional activation” actually work and using that to speed things up. If you’ve ever had a block in standard EMDR sessions — this might be worth a look.

Classic EMDR sticks to its well-known 8-phase structure. EMDR 2.0 keeps that same backbone, but changes how the middle part (reprocessing) is run.

EMDR 2.0 leans into stronger emotional activation and “overloading the brain” during the reprocessing of an experience. The idea: the more “switched on” or “activated” the memory is, the harder the brain’s working memory has to work to hold onto it during bilateral stimulation — and that competition is what helps the memory lose its grip. Instead of avoiding strong emotional response, EMDR 2.0 leans into it — in a safe, titrated way. So a client’s motivation plays a crucial role here.

Sessions often use fewer rounds of eye movements (or tapping, etc.), but each one packs more in. Rather than sitting back and waiting to see what shifts, the therapist stays more hands-on — tossing in verbal prompts, switching up the imagery, or adding extra mental tasks to keep things moving.

This is the signature move: giving the brain extra things to juggle at once — counting backward, spelling words while following hand movements, naming colors or animals while tracking. All that multitasking maxes out working memory, which makes the traumatic memory feel less vivid and less charged, faster.

Because of the increased intensity and memory loading, EMDR 2.0 often leads to quicker resolution — sometimes in just a few sessions. It’s not automatically “better” for every client — but for clients who’ve been stuck, it can be the thing that can offer a breakthrough.

This approach tends to work well for clients who:

• Are very motivated and okay with more emotional intensity/activation.
• Keep getting cognitively “stuck” in standard EMDR
• Need to move faster for practical reasons (time, cost, etc.)

As always, this calls for solid clinical judgment and good prep beforehand.

Yes. It still follows the same 8-phase framework you already trust. It’s just a more active, experimental version of the reprocessing phase — like EMDR with the volume turned up, while still keeping safety and regulation front and center.

EMDR 2.0 isn’t a magic fix. It’s genuinely a useful new tool that I added to my toolbox — a way to help the brain do what it’s built to do anyway: update the old story and move forward.