EMDR Phase Two: Preparation Process explained

You’re tired of your trauma showing up when you least expect it.  You’re tired of your job and family suffering.  Or you don’t have a family of your own (yet) and you think that your past is actually preventing you from getting there.

Addressing past trauma is liberating, freeing.  But what does it actually entail?  Let’s talk a little bit about Phase 2 of EMDR’s 8 Phases.

setting you up for emdr success

The purpose of Phase 2:  Preparation is to set you up for success with EMDR therapy.  During this phase, you’ll be learning about how EMDR works!  I explain EMDR’s underlying theory, Adaptive Information Processing Model, typical reactions I see with my clients, and most importantly - we make sure you have some calming and grounding tools to use during and in between sessions (if needed). If you’re particularly nervous about EMDR Therapy, we can use the FLASH protocol prior to the standard protocol to bring down the temperature.

A lot of people have questions about what an EMDR session is like - so I go into that as well.  Most importantly, it is the time for you to ask questions and feel fully informed before we move on to actually processing memories.  

The most important thing to remember about this phase is that it takes as long as it takes!  We don’t move to the next phase unless and until you feel ready.  

emdr “stop” signal

It is paramount to me that you feel safe. I purposely do not “push” my clients the way some EMDR therapists might. If you feel nervous and feel like you need some more time to prepare, then that’s what we’ll do!

Sometimes the trauma processing starts to feel a little scary. Because of this possibility, you and I decide on a “stop” signal. Most people choose to put their hand up like a stop sign, others choose to use the “time out” gesture. Honestly, most people don’t ever use the “stop” signal - but I like to make sure people have it ready just in case. Most of the time, just even knowing that you have the option to stop gives you a stronger sense of control that makes you feel more comfortable.

emdr resourcing

A term you might have heard in EMDR is “resourcing.” It’s just another word for coping skill development. A coping skill is something you would do if you needed to take a break, manage anxiety, etc. It can be as simple as going on a walk, smelling a candle or holding ice in your hand if you are feeling panicked.

In EMDR, there are two particular resources I like to make sure you’ve got ready to go. First is a “container.” This might sound a little silly, but I’ve had a few clients tell me it was the best part of EMDR. Basically, the container is an exercise where you build a container in your mind (whatever you want - it can be a safe, a treasure chest, shipping container, toolbox - I could go on and on with all of the containers my clients have come up with). Once we’ve established your container in your imagination, you then picture yourself putting all of the memories or things that are bothering you in this container.

The purpose of the container is to “hold” the memories we are going to be working on in between sessions. During our sessions, we take one memory out at a time and work on them together. You don’t open the container in between sessions - unless something new came up and you are putting something IN the container. Otherwise, the only place we open the container is in my office, where I can be there to keep you feeling safe. Most clients report feeling some sort of relief during this exercise and the fact that they don’t have to look at these frightening memories in between sessions also tends to decrease their symptoms in between sessions . . . at least that’s what my clients have told me!

Another exercise that I like to have ready is the “calm” or “secure” place. You may have done this already before, but in EMDR we just expand and enhance the experience. You’ll be instructed to imagine a place (it can be somewhere you’ve been, or a place that you make up on the spot) where you feel calm, peaceful, hopeful and safe. Together, we develop this calm place and ensure that this visualization brings a sense of well being. We enhance these feelings with some EMDR techniques so you can reliably bring up this calm place in your mind and feel a sense of relief and peace.

Those two resources are at minimum what each of my clients have ready to go - it really depends on their unique needs and what I have learned about them from our history taking and treatment planning process (Phase One of EMDR).

Once you and I feel like you are ready to begin the actual experience of processing trauma, we move to Phase Three: Assessment.

If you would like some help putting the past in the past, click here to book a free 15 minute video consultation for online EMDR Therapy and PTSD treatment in California.

EMDR Therapy and Trauma Counseling in California and Carlsbad, CA.