Laurel Parnell, Ph.D. is the director of the Parnell Institute and developer of Attachment-Focused EMDR. She is an internationally recognized clinical psychologist, author, and leading expert on Eye-movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. Since 1995 she has trained thousands of clinicians in EMDR both nationally and internationally.
Additionally, Dr. Parnell has also taught EMDR at California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco and was core faculty at John F. Kennedy University in the Graduate School for the Study of Human Consciousness. Currently, she teaches EMDR through the Parnell Institute, Alliant International University, Omega Institute, Esalen Institute, ID Institut in Kassel Germany, and the New York Open Center. She is the author of five books on EMDR, including her latest release Attachment-Focused EMDR: Healing Relational Trauma.
Dr. Parnell’s dissertation research was on the interpersonal dynamics of battering couples and her post-doctoral training was in family violence. She has presented her research findings at several professional conferences and has trained therapists and probation officers.
Dr. Parnell also has expertise in the area of transpersonal psychology. A meditation practitioner since 1973, she brings a transpersonal orientation to her teaching as well as in her clinical work. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco, taught at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco and was core faculty at John F. Kennedy University in the Graduate School for the Study of Human Consciousness, Department of Transpersonal Psychology. She has written and lectured on the subject of EMDR as a Transpersonal Psychology both nationally and internationally. Dr. Parnell’s article Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Spiritual Unfolding (PDF 7MB) published in the Journal of Transpersonal Psychology provides a description of the spiritual experiences many clients have during and after EMDR sessions.
Dr. Parnell has a strong interest in the integration of EMDR cross-culturally. Fluent in Spanish, she was a member of the Spanish speaking team that brought EMDR to Argentina and Columbia. She has worked in mental health clinics serving low income clients from diverse cultural backgrounds and is dedicated to making EMDR and other bilateral stimulation therapies accessible to those in need.