Date

6-16-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Gilbert Franco

Keywords

EMDR, Future Template, social anxiety, mild to moderate anxiety, bilateral stimulation

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapeutic modality designed to reduce the emotional impact of distressing experiences using bilateral stimulation (Shapiro, 1999). Social anxiety remains a widespread mental health concern with social and personal consequences (Asakura et al., 2023). This study examined whether three EMDR Future Template sessions could reduce mild to moderate social anxiety. Seventeen adults, ages 18 to 65, who either self-reported or were clinically diagnosed with social anxiety completed three weekly telehealth sessions lasting 20 to 30 minutes each. In each session, the seventeen participants focused on anticipated future social scenarios and visualized adaptive responses while receiving bilateral stimulation. The participants also completed pre and post intervention surveys using the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale-Self Report (LSAS-SR). A paired samples t-test identified a statistically significant reduction in social anxiety, yielding a large effect size. An additional ANCOVA, controlling for demographic factors, confirmed that the intervention’s effect was not confounded by age, sex, or education. These results suggest that a short, focused EMDR Future Template intervention protocol may help reduce mild to moderate social anxiety and highlight the value of EMDR’s future focused component. Future research with larger, controlled designs is warranted to expand upon and confirm these findings.

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