Common Stabilization Techniques in EMDR Preparation
EMDR therapy follows an eight phase protocol, and Phase 2, preparation, is where clinicians help clients develop the emotional regulation skills needed before trauma processing begins. While this phase is sometimes described briefly in EMDR trainings, in clinical practice it often becomes one of the most important parts of treatment planning.
Before beginning trauma reprocessing, clients must be able to maintain dual attention. This means they can access emotionally charged material while remaining oriented to the present moment. Stabilization techniques help develop this capacity by strengthening emotional regulation, increasing present moment awareness, and giving clients reliable ways to return to balance if distress increases during or between sessions.
Preparation is especially important when working with complex trauma, dissociation, or clients who have limited experience tolerating strong emotional activation. In these situations Phase 2 may take multiple sessions, and in some complex trauma cases preparation can extend for months or even longer. Moving too quickly into trauma processing without adequate preparation can increase the risk of emotional flooding, dissociation, or destabilization.
Grounding and Present Moment Orientation
Grounding strategies help clients reconnect with the present moment when distressing memories, emotions, or body sensations begin to intensify. Trauma responses often involve a temporary shift away from present awareness. Clients may feel pulled into intrusive memories, emotional flooding, or dissociative experiences that make it difficult to stay oriented to their current environment.
Grounding techniques redirect attention to present sensory information. Therapists might ask clients to name objects they can see in the room, press their feet into the floor, notice physical sensations in their hands, or describe the environment around them. These exercises reinforce an important therapeutic skill. The client learns that the trauma memory belongs to the past while they remain physically safe in the present.
One question I often ask during grounding work is, “What tells you that you are here in this room with me right now?” That question encourages the client to identify specific cues of present safety rather than automatically following the emotional pull of the trauma memory.
Grounding work often overlaps with early treatment planning conversations. As clients begin thinking about potential EMDR targets, they may notice memories, emotions, or body sensations emerging between sessions. It is common for new material to surface once attention is directed toward trauma history and memory networks.
For that reason, many therapists encourage clients to briefly record reactions that occur during the week. Clients may notice emotional shifts, dreams connected to therapy themes, physical sensations related to memories, or new insights about past experiences. Writing these observations down allows the therapist and client to review them together in the next session and determine whether they are connected to existing targets or represent additional material that should be incorporated into the treatment plan.
The Safe Place or Peaceful Place Exercise
The Safe Place exercise, sometimes called the Peaceful Place, is one of the most commonly used resourcing strategies in EMDR preparation. In this exercise the therapist helps the client identify a location associated with feelings of calm, safety, or comfort. The place may be a real location, an imagined one, or a combination of elements from several memories.
Once the place is identified, the therapist guides the client in expanding the sensory details of the experience. Clients might notice what they see around them, the sounds in the environment, the temperature of the air, or the sensations they feel in their body. When the experience of safety becomes stronger, short sets of bilateral stimulation may be used to reinforce the memory network associated with calm and stability.
The goal of the Safe Place exercise is not to avoid difficult emotions. Instead it creates a reliable regulation resource that clients can access if distress increases during trauma processing or between sessions.
Some clients easily visualize imagery, while others do not. Individuals with aphantasia, for example, may have limited or absent mental imagery. In these situations, therapists can adapt the exercise by focusing more on body sensations, emotional memories, symbolic representations of safety, or sensory cues rather than visual imagery. Many EMDR preparation exercises can be modified in this way so that stabilization strategies remain accessible even for clients who do not rely on visual imagery.
The Container Exercise
The container exercise is another stabilization technique frequently used during EMDR preparation. It is especially helpful when distressing memories or intrusive thoughts emerge outside of therapy sessions.
In this exercise the client imagines placing distressing material into a container such as a box, vault, or other secure structure. The therapist helps the client design the container so that it feels strong enough to hold the material safely. Clients may imagine locks, reinforced walls, or other mechanisms that ensure the container remains closed until they intentionally choose to reopen it during therapy.
The purpose of containment is not suppression. Instead it provides a way for clients to pause emotionally intense material when they are not in the therapeutic environment. This can reduce rumination and prevent overwhelming activation between sessions while still acknowledging that the material will be addressed during structured trauma processing.
Some clinicians combine containment exercises with structured tracking tools so that clients can record memories or emotional reactions that arise during the week. These observations can then be reviewed during the next session and incorporated into the broader EMDR treatment plan.
Resource Development and Installation
Resource Development and Installation, commonly called RDI, is a structured intervention designed to strengthen adaptive emotional experiences. During RDI the therapist helps the client recall or imagine experiences associated with qualities such as strength, competence, protection, or support.
For example, a therapist might ask the client to remember a time when they successfully handled a difficult situation, felt supported by another person, or experienced a sense of personal strength. Once the emotional experience becomes active, slow and short sets of bilateral stimulation may be used to strengthen the associated neural network.
Over time these installed resources become emotional anchors that clients can access when distress increases during trauma processing. Even relatively small memories of competence can become powerful resources when they are intentionally reinforced during preparation.
Common Challenges with Resource Development and Installation (RDI)
Even when clinicians understand how to guide Resource Development and Installation (RDI), the process doesn’t always unfold smoothly. That’s not a sign you’re doing something wrong. It’s often meaningful clinical information that can help guide how preparation is paced and adapted.
When a Client Struggles to Access a Resource
Sometimes clients have difficulty identifying or connecting with a nurturing, protective, or competence-based experience. This can look like:
“I can’t think of anything”
The memory feels flat or distant
The resource doesn’t feel believable or emotionally accessible
When this happens, it’s often a signal—not a failure. It may reflect:
limited access to adaptive memory networks
attachment disruptions
chronic stress or developmental trauma
In these cases, you might:
slow down the process
shift to smaller or more neutral experiences
use present-moment or imaginal resources instead of historical ones
Access to a resource is usually built gradually over time, rather than needing it to feel strong right away.
When the Resource Doesn’t Stick
At times, a client can identify a resource, but the positive state fades quickly or doesn’t hold between sets. This may show up as:
difficulty maintaining the image
rapid return of distress
minimal shift in affect
This often points to:
insufficient installation
competing activation from trauma networks
limited dual attention capacity
Clinical responses may include:
shorter, slower sets of bilateral stimulation
frequent grounding or orientation back to the present
returning to Phase 2 skills before continuing installation
When Activation Increases During RDI
Occasionally, even positive material can trigger unexpected emotional activation. For example:
a nurturing image brings up grief
a protective figure activates fear or distrust
a competence memory highlights perceived failure
When this happens, it’s important to pause and reassess.
Rather than pushing forward, you might:
shift back to stabilization
contain emerging material
explore whether the resource is linked to unresolved experiences
RDI should feel stabilizing and supportive, not destabilizing. If activation increases, that’s valuable clinical data about readiness.
When Dissociation Interferes
If a client becomes spacey, disconnected, or loses dual attention during RDI, this suggests that stabilization capacity may need strengthening. In these cases, consider:
returning to grounding and orientation strategies
using more structured, present-focused resources
reinforcing dual attention before continuing
RDI relies on the client’s ability to stay anchored in the present while engaging with adaptive material.
A Clinical Reminder
When RDI feels challenging, it’s often highlighting exactly what needs attention in preparation.
These moments help guide:
pacing
resource development
readiness for trauma processing
Rather than trying to push through difficulty, we want to listen to it clinically.
Affect Regulation and Emotional Tolerance
Preparation in EMDR therapy also involves helping clients develop practical emotional regulation skills. Many individuals entering trauma treatment have never been taught how to manage strong emotional activation. This is particularly true for clients whose trauma occurred during childhood or in environments where emotional expression was discouraged.
Therapists may introduce strategies such as paced breathing, sensory grounding, movement based regulation, or brief mindfulness exercises. Some clinicians integrate skills from other evidence based treatments when appropriate.
The key question during preparation is not simply whether the client can feel emotions. The therapist is evaluating whether the client can tolerate emotional activation while still maintaining present moment awareness. If distress quickly escalates into panic, dissociation, or loss of orientation, additional stabilization work is usually necessary before trauma processing begins.
Stabilization for Dissociation and Complex Trauma
When dissociation is present, stabilization strategies often require additional time and structure. Clients may need repeated orientation to the present moment. Therapists may ask clients to identify the date, their physical location, or sensory cues in the environment that confirm they are currently safe.
Preparation for dissociation may also include strengthening multiple internal resources before approaching highly activating trauma memories. This approach helps ensure the client can return to present awareness if dissociative symptoms begin to emerge during processing.
Stabilization Continues Throughout EMDR Treatment
A common misconception is that preparation occurs once and then the therapist moves permanently into trauma processing. In practice stabilization remains relevant throughout EMDR treatment.
Even after reprocessing begins, therapists may return to preparation strategies if emotional activation increases, dissociation emerges, or significant stressors occur between sessions. Preparation and processing often move back and forth over the course of treatment, particularly with complex trauma presentations.
Learning More About EMDR Preparation
Preparation in EMDR therapy often involves more nuance than it first appears. Techniques like grounding, resourcing, and stabilization are only part of the process. Decisions about pacing, dissociation, and readiness for trauma processing are equally important.
If you’d like a deeper look at how these elements fit together in clinical practice, you can explore the EMDR Preparation and Stabilization Hub, where these topics are discussed in more detail.
Research References
Hoppen, T. H., Lindemann, A. S., & Morina, N. (2022). Safety of psychological interventions for adult post-traumatic stress disorder: Meta-analysis on the incidence and relative risk of deterioration, adverse events and serious adverse events. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 221(5), 658–667.
https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2022.111Klatte, R., Strauss, B., Flückiger, C., & Rosendahl, J. (2025). Adverse events in psychotherapy randomized controlled trials: A systematic review. Psychotherapy Research, 35(1), 84–99.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2023.2286992Korn, D. L., & Leeds, A. M. (2002). Preliminary evidence of efficacy for EMDR resource development and installation in the stabilization phase of treatment of complex posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(12), 1465–1487. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.10099
Leeds, A. M. (2009). A Guide to the Standard EMDR Protocols for Clinicians, Supervisors, and Consultants. Springer Publishing Company.
Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols and Procedures (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
van Schie, K., & van Veen, S. C. (2026). Adverse effects of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy: A neglected but urgent area of inquiry. Current Opinion in Psychology, 67, 102155.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102155
