EMDR 2.0: A Conversation with Suzy Matthijssen & Ad de Jongh

Sep 16, 2025

Guest

Suzy Matthijssen

Guest

Ad de Jongh

In this engaging conversation, Suzy Matthijssen, a clinical psychologist and trauma treatment innovator, and Ad de Jongh, a seasoned therapist and EMDR pioneer, delve into the evolution of EMDR 2.0. They discuss the origins of intensive trauma treatment, highlighting the emergence of four-session-a-day protocols. The duo explains the science behind their approach, focusing on the pillars of activation, taxation, and motivation. They also share insights on the surprising effectiveness of remote therapy, and how their methods can better address complicated trauma cases.

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ANECDOTE

Creating A Condensed Intensive Program

Suzy described building an outpatient condensed intensive program after copying and adapting Sidetrack's residential model.
She ran a six-day version with one EMDR and one prolonged exposure session per day and found comparable results.

ANECDOTE

Unexpected Success With Online Intensives

During COVID Suzy and Ad moved intensive programs online and saw dramatic results including clients scoring near zero on symptom measures.
Suzy recounted calling a client in tears because her post-treatment scores were all zero and then verifying the change.

INSIGHT

Working Memory Taxation Is Core

Working memory taxation, not bilaterality, explains EMDR's core mechanism: taxing working memory while activating the memory reduces its vividness and emotion.
Research shows a dose–response: greater taxation produces larger decreases in emotionality.

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EMDR 2.0: A Conversation with Suzy Matthijssen & Ad de Jongh

Recorded live at the EMDRIA conference, Bridger and Jen sit down with the developers of EMDR 2.0, Suzy Matthijssen and Ad de Jongh. Together, they explore how intensive trauma treatment, working memory taxation, and reconsolidation theory are shaping the next generation of EMDR. From four-sessions-a-day protocols to online innovations born during COVID, this conversation brings cutting-edge clinical research into dialogue with the everyday realities of client care.

Summary

In this special conference episode of Notice That, Jen and Bridger interview Suzy Matthijssen and Ad de Jongh, two of the leading voices behind EMDR 2.0. The conversation moves between history, research, and practice, offering clinicians a front-row seat to the evolution of trauma treatment.

Key Themes:

Origins of Intensive Trauma Treatment
Suzy and Ad describe how intensive models—four sessions a day across multiple days—emerged from working with treatment-resistant clients and evolved further during the pandemic into effective online formats.
The Science of EMDR 2.0
They outline three core pillars:

Activation – ensuring traumatic memories are fully brought into working memory.
Taxation – increasing working memory load through diverse tasks (eye movements, spelling, music interference, etc.) to reduce vividness and emotionality.
Motivation – equipping clients to actively engage in bringing memories forward rather than passively relying on the therapist.

Reconsolidation vs. Suppression
The guests emphasize the importance of ensuring memories are altered and reconsolidated—not avoided or suppressed. Special techniques like blind-to-therapist protocols and flash-forward work help clients stay engaged while navigating shame, fear, or anticipatory anxiety.
Rethinking Stabilization
EMDR 2.0 challenges the assumption that long stabilization phases are necessary. Instead, therapists are encouraged to begin trauma processing sooner while maintaining attunement and supporting clients within their window of tolerance.
The Future of EMDR
Suzy and Ad share their vision of expanding EMDR beyond PTSD guidelines into personality disorders, depression, and anxiety—arguing that wherever intrusive memories or imagery are at the core of symptomatology, EMDR should play a central role.

This episode highlights how EMDR 2.0 builds on the original eight-phase protocol while integrating decades of research, pointing toward a future where trauma treatment is more efficient, intensive, and broadly applied.

If you want to learn more about EMDR 2.0, head over to www.enhancingtraumatreatment.com

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