Dr Tom Nehmy

Research & Publications

Two decades of clinical research — from preventing mental health problems in young people to a landmark trial of a new grief therapy.

Career highlight — 2026

The Adelaide IADC trial

With colleagues in Australia and the United States, I led a wait-list controlled trial of Induced After-Death Communication (IADC) therapy — 43 grieving participants, a complete treatment of just two 90-minute sessions, delivered in person and online with equal effect. Participants experienced very large reductions in grief symptoms: roughly double what standard psychotherapies commonly achieve over 12 to 16 sessions. 79% reported an after-death communication during therapy, and two-thirds of those above the clinical threshold for prolonged grief disorder at baseline fell below it at follow-up. The gains held when participants were retested a month later.

The paper — open access

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.

Read the full paper

“The combination of strong clinical outcomes, especially the substantial reductions in grief and depression symptoms, with the brief nature of the intervention is compelling.”

Christopher Hall — CEO, Grief Australia

New to IADC? It was developed in the mid-1990s by Chicago clinical psychologist Dr Allan Botkin while treating Vietnam veterans, using bilateral stimulation to reduce the sadness of bereavement. For the full research story on IADC therapy — including all published studies, and how to experience or train in it — visit healinggriefwithiadc.com/research.

Taking the findings to the world

IANDS 2025 — Chicago

Tom Nehmy presenting the Adelaide IADC trial beside Professor Jan Holden and Graham Maxey, IANDS 2025 Chicago
Presenting the trial with Prof. Jan Holden & Graham Maxey
Tom Nehmy with Dr Allan Botkin, founder of IADC therapy
With Dr Allan Botkin — founder of IADC therapy
Tom Nehmy with Dr Raymond Moody, author of Life After Life
With Dr Raymond Moody — author of Life After Life
Tom Nehmy at the IANDS 2025 author book signing in Chicago
Author book signing — IANDS 2025

Selected presentations

  • IANDS 2025 Annual Conference — Chicago, USA
  • APS Festival of Psychology 2025 — Gold Coast
  • University of Adelaide — School of Psychology
  • Helping Parents Heal — USA & Australia
  • Tree of Souls — international webinar

Scholarly work

Selected publications

  1. 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. OMEGA — Journal of Death and Dying.
  2. Nehmy, T. (2017). Transdiagnostic Prevention of Eating Disorders. In T. Wade (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Feeding and Eating Disorders. Springer.
  3. Nehmy, T. J., & Wade, T. D. (2015). Reducing the onset of negative affect in adolescents: Evaluation of a perfectionism program in a universal prevention setting. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 67, 55–63.
  4. Nehmy, T. J., & Wade, T. D. (2014). Reduction in the prospective incidence of adolescent psychopathology: A review of school-based prevention approaches. Mental Health & Prevention, 2(3–4), 66–79.
  5. Nehmy, T. J. (2010). School-based prevention of depression and anxiety in Australia: Current state and future directions. Clinical Psychologist, 14(3), 74–83.
  6. Nixon, R. D., Ellis, A. A., Nehmy, T. J., & Ball, S. A. (2010). Screening and predicting posttraumatic stress and depression in children following single-incident trauma. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 39(4), 588–596.
  7. Nixon, R. D., Nehmy, T. J., et al. (2010). Predictors of posttraumatic stress in children following injury. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 48(8), 810–815.

Experience IADC therapy — or train in it

Online sessions via Zoom, wherever you are in the world. Clinician training with Tom.

healinggriefwithiadc.com