The EMDRAA SYDNEY 2026 conference has come to an end

The EMDRAA conference took place in Sydney from 29 April to 2 May 2026, an international gathering focused on clinical and theoretical advances in EMDR. As part of the event, on 1 May, Dolores Mosquera presented the paper “When control replaces safety: an EMDR perspective on OCD and complex trauma”.

The session addressed how, in clinical practice, obsessive-compulsive symptoms often appear as the primary reason for seeking help, in many cases masking an underlying history of adverse relational experiences and unresolved complex trauma. Through a clinical case study, it was demonstrated how an obsessive-compulsive disorder initially conceptualised as primary can, in reality, be understood as a secondary manifestation of difficulties linked to the patient’s development, attachment and relational history.

Drawing on the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, it was suggested that these symptoms may function as maladaptive attempts at emotional regulation and control, associated with dysfunctional memory networks. The progression of the case allowed a shift from a symptom-centred approach to a broader conceptualisation based on the patient’s life history, identifying key experiences related to emotional invalidation, lack of protection and difficulties in identity formation.

The therapeutic approach using EMDR focused on reprocessing these significant traumatic experiences, which led to a significant reduction in obsessive-compulsive symptoms as a secondary effect. At the same time, improvements were observed in emotional regulation, self-concept and the integration of personal identity.

The presentation highlighted the need to understand obsessive-compulsive behaviours as emotional regulation strategies linked to unprocessed experiences, paving the way for more in-depth and sustained interventions over time.