Between innovation and tradition: the paradoxical relationship between eye movement desensitization and reprocessing and altered states of consciousness.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a relatively new form of psychotherapy to emerge in the West. Using both a case analysis and literature review we situate EMDR within the use of altered states of consciousness (ASCs) in psychological healing practices across times and cultures. We discuss EMDR's unique predicament as a therapy that draws upon techniques common to most therapeutic ASCs, while at the same time distancing itself from this tradition through its pseudoscientific language and technologic aesthetic. Our conclusion attempts to shed light on this paradox and raise questions for further study.