Francine Shapiro (February 18, 1948 – June 16, 2019) was an American psychologist and educator who originated and developed eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), a controversial form of psychotherapy for resolving the symptoms of traumatic and other disturbing life experiences.
Shapiro travelled,[9] then settled in San Diego and set up a nonprofit organization, Human Development Institute, along with Shirley Phares-Kime.
According to Robert Todd Carroll, she then enrolled in the Professional School of Psychological Studies, San Diego (a now defunct non-regionally accredited graduate training program).
In a workshop, Shapiro related how the idea of the therapy came to her while she was taking a walk in the woods, and discerned she had been able to cope better with disturbing thoughts when also experiencing saccadic eye movements.
[18] She was a senior research fellow emeritus at the Mental Research Institute, Palo Alto, California, executive director of the EMDR Institute, Watsonville, California, and founder and president emeritus of EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Programs, a non-profit organization that coordinates disaster response and pro bono trainings worldwide.
She was an invited speaker at psychology conferences and universities worldwide,[19] and wrote and co-authored more than 60 journal articles, chapters, and books about EMDR,[20] including the primary text Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: Basic Principles, Protocols and Procedures.
[9] She died suddenly at age 71 on June 16, 2019, at a medical center north of San Francisco not far from her home,[9] after a long struggle with respiratory issues.