EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Programs (HAP) began in 1995 as a response to the Oklahoma City bombing. An FBI agent who had previously received EMDR therapy called requesting help, stating that the local mental health professionals were overwhelmed by the task. After a needs assessment, approximately 100 volunteer clinicians trained in EMDR therapy were rotated in to provide pro bono treatment for
the bombing victims and front-line responders. A program evaluation indicated that over 80% achieved beneficial treatment effects within three sessions, in agreement with the results of a randomized study published the same year (Wilson, Becker & Tinker, 1995). Subsequently, free trainings in EMDR therapy were offered and provided to 290 clinicians in collaboration with local agencies. The feedback was so positive that a 501 (c) 3 organization was soon established. Since that time, we have changed our name to Trauma Recovery, EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Programs (Trauma Recovery/HAP) and have coordinated projects throughout the U.S. The goals of the organization include, (a) educating the public about the effects of trauma, (b) providing support for professionals working with underserved populations, and (c) treating victims post-disaster and in war zones. Trauma Recovery/HAP projects train those serving afflicted populations in developing nations, such as clinicians working with AIDS orphans in Addis Ababa. Projects have been conducted with clinicians on both sides of ethnopolitical and religious conflicts, such as Bosnia/Croatia, Northern Ireland and parts of the Middle East. The overall goal is to alleviate the immediate suffering, while simultaneously preventing the intergenerational transfer of both the pain and violence that are often the legacies of traumatization.
