Efficacy of Induced After Death Communication Therapy for Grief: A Single-Group Wait-List Controlled Trial

Authors

• Thomas J. Nehmy, University of Adelaide, School of Psychology
• John Daniels
• Paul Williamson, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work
• Sarah E. Stegall-Rodriguez, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2026

Abstract

Induced After-Death Communication (IADC) therapy, which uses bilateral stimulation derived from EMDR, is an emerging approach to reducing grief symptoms in bereaved individuals. The present study evaluated the IADC protocol, consisting of two 90-min sessions, in 43 bereaved adults with assessments at four time points including a one-month waitlist period to provide control data. Large reductions in grief symptoms were observed from baseline to follow-up (global grief severity d = 1.56; average daily sadness d = 1.33). Two-thirds of participants who exceeded the clinical cutoff score for prolonged grief at baseline scored below this threshold at follow-up. Treatment effects were comparable across delivery methods (in-person vs. online) and were not moderated by time since loss or baseline symptom severity. After-death communications occurred in 79% of participants during therapy and predicted stronger continuing bonds with the deceased. These findings support IADC as an efficient treatment option for bereaved individuals.

Comments

© The Author(s) 2026.

Recommended Citation

Nehmy, T. J., Daniels, J., Williamson, P., Stegall-Rodriguez, S. E., & St Germain-Sehr, N. R. (2026). Efficacy of Induced After Death Communication Therapy for Grief: A Single-Group Wait-List Controlled Trial. OMEGA-Journal of Death and Dying, 00302228261418413. https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228261418413

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Publication Title

Omega United States

DOI

10.1177/00302228261418413