My first knowledge of EMDR was through Dr Andrew Leon who was my supervisor in the ASH course of Hypnosis I was taking in 1991. He had been in California and had seen Francine talking about her new method on television. He pursued this lead and discovered her 1989 paper which he provided for me to read. I suppose like most people hearing about EMDR for the first time I read the paper with interest and disbelief. The following week I used the procedure for the first time with a young woman who had been having flashbacks and panic attacks which related to an attempted rape a year earlier. Within 10 minutes the memory seemed to have been processed and when she returned the following week she reported she had been without symptoms for the whole week despite having been in situations which had previously triggered flashbacks.

Through later experiences with EMDR I came to realize my choice of client for the first trial was indeed fortunate. PTSD following a single critical incident in an otherwise 'healthy' personality is indeed the ideal clinical situation for EMDR success. I began to experiment more with the procedure. I was working at the Counseling Service at Sydney University at the time and the head of the department was encouraging the staff to carry out some research.
I proposed we do a small project with EMDR and he agreed. Drs. Michael Young, Jennifer Flatt and I carried out the research during 1992-93.

In 1991, in the course of my investigating EMDR, I met Don Heggie, OA. He was a pilot in W. W.II and had experienced a horrific trauma when the tail of the plane he was flying was destroyed by enemy bombers and the airman operating the guns in the tail was killed. Don had been plagued by PTSD symptoms since the event and had researched and tried many different treatments for this condition. In his readings he had discovered Francine's original paper. Don is a very enthusiastic determined person and he rang Francine in California and persuaded her to treat him. He flew to the USA early in 1991 and Francine treated him with EMDR. He was delighted with the treatments results and returned to Australia determined to bring EMDR here.

Don gave me the contact telephone numbers and dates of EMDR training's in California and I attended the Basic Level I training in Sunnyvale California, in November 1991. I then went to the Level II training in Chicago in December 1991. I returned to Australia and we began our research project. I presented the preliminary findings at the APS conference in 1992

In March 1992 Don Heggie funded six professionals and he took them to Chicago for a Level I basic training with Francine. The group included Dr Robyn Robinson from Victoria; Dr Gary Fulcher and Dr Ken Vaughan from New South Wales; Chris Lee from Western Australia. After their training they attended the first EMDR conference in Sunnyvale California where I joined them. Don Heggie organized a meeting with Francine Shapiro to discuss her coming to Australia to train health professionals here.
Don sponsored Francine's first visit to Australia in mid-1992. She held 3-day workshops at the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Sydney. The numbers attending were over 100 at each training and despite Francine having a bad case of influenza, the trainings went well. The training team was all American. At Don's insistence, groups of Australian professionals who had already been trained in the USA, together with a group of psychologists from the armed forces and police, began training to become facilitators for future training.

Francine and her colleagues started an EMDR newsletter in 1991 in an effort to gather information and disseminate the latest information about the practice of EMDR to trained professionals. She encouraged us to join this organization and she also encouraged the trainee facilitators here to set up a regional EMDR network to provide a forum to share ideas and support each other. DR Robyn Robinson was the original Australian Coordinator of the EMDR Network and the EMDR Network at state levels was coordinated by:

Gary Fulcher and myself in NSW

Robyn Robinson in Victoria

Chris Lee in W A

Tony Smith in SA

Ruth Maberely in QLD.

During 1992-94 local meetings were organized and peer support groups were arranged by the state networks. Supervised practice sessions and personal supervision by the trained facilitators was offered. The newsletter produced in USA In August 1995, at the EMDR was originally mailed from there training in Melbourne, a steer- but is now sent here for printing committee was elected from and distribution at first by Gary the group of selected trainers. Fulcher, and later by Alex Sevitt.

In 1993 Gary Fulcher became Australian Coordinator of EMDR and in 1995 he became the first accredited trainer in EMDR outside the USA. Don Heggie was declared patron of EMDR in recognition of his enormous support to EMDR.

In June 1994 at the EMDR conference in Santa Monica California, Francine announced that the organisation of EMDR would change. There is now the EMDR Institute based at Palo Alto and an independent organisation called EMDRIA (EMDR International Association) chaired by DR Ron Doctor. Partly this change is due to the release of Francine's book on EMDR. All countries outside the USA were asked to set up local chapters of this organization, effective January 1 1996.

In August 1995, at the EMDR training in Melbourne, a steering committee was elected from the group of selected trainers. Jennifer Braithwaite was elected chairperson, Molly Williams secretary, Robbie Corbett, treasurer, and Uta Herzog as International Representative. Since that time the committee has met many times under the dedicated guidance of Jennifer Braithwaite and, mainly due to her driving force, the Australian chapter was born (on time).

By Robbie Corbett

In 1997 Mark Grant assumed the presidency. The EMDR Association of Australia now has over 100 members and continues to serve its members and the public through disseminating information and assisting in referral inquiries etc. The EMDR Association of Australia is affiliated with the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) and distributes its quarterly newsletter. Membership is open to any professional who has completed an approved level 1 training in EMDR.

In 1997 Francine Shapiro came to Australia and trained an additional four EMDR trainers to better service this large country. Since that time EMDR has continued to grow as a useful and effective method for psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers.

If you would like to learn EMDR please refer to the trainers page for details of dates and locations for trainings in Australia and/or New Zealand.

If you would like to join the EMDR Association of Australia, please refer to the 'join EMDRAA' button on the home page.