Beyond the Protocol Is Not Beyond EMDR
EMDR Canada’s 2026 conference theme is “Beyond the Protocol: EMDR in Complex, Diverse, and Emerging Contexts.” It is a useful phrase. It is also an easy one to misread.
For clinicians, the conference theme raises a familiar question: how should case formulation guide treatment when the client’s circumstances differ from the examples used in training?
That mismatch is not a failure of the model. It is the exact point where case conceptualization has to do more of the work. Complex trauma, dissociation, culture, grief, moral injury, chronic threat, and shame can all make EMDR feel less straightforward. But the real question is rarely “should I be rigid or creative?” The more useful question is: what is the model asking me to pay attention to right now? Is this a readiness problem? A targeting problem? Avoidance? Dissociation? A sequencing issue? Am I trying to push the protocol through a case that needs more preparation first?
Consultation can help a clinician work through those decisions while keeping treatment anchored in the model and the individual case.
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Updated June 15, 2026.
