Patrick Clancy, 36, said EMDR therapy helped him cope with the trauma following the deaths of his three young children, describing the treatment as “like a miracle.” He discussed the experience in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes.”
Clancy said the trauma-focused therapy helped him confront painful memories instead of avoiding them. After completing the sessions, he said the waking nightmares and screaming episodes he experienced had mostly stopped.
EMDR stands for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. The psychotherapy typically involves having patients focus on distressing memories while following bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, alternating sounds or tapping.
The therapy is most commonly used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, although practitioners also use it for conditions including anxiety, depression, panic disorders and addiction. The article notes that treatment length varies, with some patients improving after a few sessions while others require longer treatment.
Research cited in the report has found evidence that EMDR can reduce PTSD symptoms, including a 2025 systematic review of 17 studies and a 2023 meta-analysis.
