What is VSDT®?

An Overview

Visual Schema Displacement Therapy (VSDT®) is a therapy developed by British psychotherapists Nik & Eva Speakman as a treatment for all types of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). VSDT® is a remarkable therapy because of results, speed and effectiveness. The Speakman's propose that trauma-inducing events create schemas and become embedded in a matter of minutes, therefore they should be resolved in a similar time frame.

The therapy works by targeting specific problem memories from trauma, neutralising the negative recall by reducing the emotionality and vividness of these memories.

In 2018, Professor Ad De Jongh & Dr Suzy Matthijssen of University of Amsterdam and Utrecht University respectively, began studies to examine the effectiveness of VSDT®. The first research paper published in The Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry (Matthijssen et al., 2018) presented research which found VSDT® to be superior to an abbreviated version of EMDR, in reducing the emotional disturbance of disturbing memories.

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No individual has been trained by The Speakmans to deliver VSDT®, aside from those involved in the aforementioned research studies. Anyone reporting to practice VSDT® or claiming to have been trained in this therapy are making false claims. Caution is therefore advised to avoid potential psychological harm. The Speakmans intend to train and certify clinical psychologists in VSDT® to ensure widespread accessibility commencing in 2026. You can register your interest to train in VSDT by completing the form on this site.