Treating Birth Trauma with EMDR: A Practical Framework
About
Birth-related trauma is about more than just what happened during labour. Accordingto the Integrated Theory of Birth Trauma (ITB) (Frankham et al., 2024) , it’s shaped by
a range of factors — not just medical interventions or emergencies, but how the birth
was experienced. Feeling powerless, unsupported, or unheard can have a greater
impact than the objective events of the birth itself.
Drawing on the Power Threat Meaning Framework, the ITB helps us understand the
deeper psychological and contextual layers of birth-related trauma. It invites us to
look beyond what’s visible and consider how power dynamics, life experiences, and
the meanings made during and after birth all shape a mother’s trauma response.
Using case examples, this webinar will explore how the ITB allows therapists to
sensitively and efficiently treat birth trauma by identifying EMDR targets that facilitate
healing compatible with the AIP model.
We’ll also consider how the transition to motherhood including re-evaluation of
attachment relationships and potential activation of past trauma, plays a crucial role.
By integrating the ITB with EMDR, therapists can better support mothers in healing
not just from the birth event, but from the broader emotional and relational context,
ultimately supporting healthier mother-infant relationships and thereby reducing the
risk of intergenerational trauma transmission.
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand and describe the ITB framework
2. Awareness of the perinatal and developmental context of birth-related trauma
3. Ability to apply the ITB in case conceptualisation and when selecting memory
targets
4. Awareness of the potential trajectories following the sequalae of birth-related
trauma
The webinar will be recorded and made available to registered participants for 90 days following the event.
Date
Wednesday 15 July 2026 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM (UTC+10)Location
Online event access details will be provided by the event organiser
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Treating Birth Trauma with EMDR: A Practical Framework
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