Can EMDR Complement Adlerian Play Therapy?

ABSTRACT:Many of the concepts of the adaptive information-processing model can be applied to Individual Psychology, thus forming a potentially helpful model of using eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in Adlerian therapy. The benefits are not limited to talk therapy; they also encompass play therapy. Overall, the integration of psychological theories should be undertaken only when core concepts do not contrast. Because not all philosophical underpinnings of the two theories (Individual Psychology and adaptive information processing) align, they cannot be completely theoretically congruent. This article provides an overview of the underpinnings of Adlerian theory and the adaptive information-processing model and a description of similarities and differences. To conclude, a case study illustrates how one might use EMDR in Adlerian play therapy in a theoretically sound way.