The main tools that I use with my therapist:
Before I continue with the story of my preparations for that upcoming EMDR session with my therapist, I wanted to give an overview of the various tools I use in my healing process, as well as some additional information about my two main techniques:
CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing
None of this is medical advice or recommendations for anyone. I just wanted to provide some additional background on what these terms mean, as well as some links to related professional organizations, if of interest.
Again, these methods were chosen by my therapist and me, based on what we both felt would be best for me. Each person needs to work with their therapist to determine their own best path, as it is a very individual process.
It goes without saying that there are many different types of therapy approaches. And there are also new tools being explored, such as psychedelic medications for the treatment of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Toward the end of this book, I’ll touch on that a bit more. While I have no personal experience with the psychedelic medications, I watch the research to see what might develop in the future.
The tools I use on my own:
Here is a list of other tools that I use on my own, which augment the work I do with my therapist:
Emotional release and processing/insights:
- Art — especially painting/sketching
- Journaling/writing
Relaxation:
- Yoga breathing exercises or movements
- Tai Chi movement
- Emotional Freedom Techniques – tapping on body pressure points
- Lymphatic massage
- Resting on my back on the floor with my legs up on the bed, with deep breathing
- Walking, weights, elliptical, or regular exercises
Memory and emotion triggers for journaling and art prompts:
- Talismans/Objects from my past, such as books, toys, or other items that generate some kind of emotional reaction in me
- Questions I want answers to, or ones suggested by my therapist
- Specific words or phrases that I react to
- Sensory items – tactile, fragrances, auditory, food, etc.
- Music – Gregorian chants, baroque music, pop culture
- Song lyrics
- Books, quotations, poems
I’ll write more about some of these in upcoming posts. For this post, though, I will focus on CBT and EMDR.
CBT – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:
I have heard this one described a lot as “talk therapy.” Maybe that is too simplistic because that makes it sound like you walk into a therapist’s office, just spew a bunch of indiscriminate thoughts and words, then, voila, all is done and magically fixed. Not so at all.
It is a process that is very nuanced, a delicate pacing of questions posed, reflection, processing, and a back-and-forth discussion that eventually leads to insights. It may sound easy or like unstructured chaos, but it actually involves subtle guidance, sometimes a helpful push to look deeper, or, quite frequently in my case, an effort to slow me down and not miss an important discovery.
The discussions center around three areas: feelings – both emotions and physical sensations, the thoughts carried within, and the behaviors that then get expressed outwardly.
I describe it as: “What you think, is what you feel, is what you do.”
There is a lot of directed probing. What do you think about certain things in life? WHY do you think that? When you do, what do you feel — emotionally and as body sensations? Are you angry? Sad? Anxious? Where in your body are you feeling something?
If I show up for my meeting harried and tense, the first question is – What is the emotion or emotions, and what is happening in your body?
For example, when I am overloading on buried emotions of fear, grief, or rage, I often feel a tremendous weight on my chest, a difficulty in breathing, and a choking sensation in my throat. If some issue gets resolved during the session, I can viscerally feel the relief in my throat muscles, and my breathing slows and relaxes.
By learning to pay closer attention to what I am feeling, I start to also connect to what I was thinking in those moments. Often, there is some unresolved or negative messaging going through my head. And then it all shows up in how I am acting — impatient while driving…crabby when interacting with others, etc.
While it is a slow, deliberate process, I have learned so much over the years that has brought me healing and progress. In fact, it is only through a lot of very careful CBT work that I was finally ready to tackle trying EMDR again.
Resources for more information:
American Psychological Association
https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral
National Institutes of Health:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279297/
EMDR – Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing:
My short description is something like this: I sit before a light bank with a beam moving fairly quickly back and forth, while following that beam with my eyes. Using the planned-out approach, I focus on a particular memory and/or the negative messages around that memory while continuing to follow the light beam. We do this in successive short cycles of following the beam with my eyes while focused on the memory, then a short break to observe any bodily sensations, questions, or insights that came up, then more rounds of following the light. Depending on how intense my negative emotions were when I started, we may do this for sixty to ninety minutes, whatever it takes to bring me to a place where the emotions have been processed, and I am in a better place.
A more complete description listed on various websites for the EMDR process describes an eight-phase process for EMDR:
- History and Treatment Planning: Assess the person to determine if this is a good process to use, and then start to develop a treatment plan. That includes identifying target memories, whether recent ones or from the past, or situations that trigger the stress reaction.
- Preparation: Especially if a person is new to the therapist, time is spent establishing trust between the two, and teaching both the process itself and the coping skills to use during the upcoming EMDR session.
- Assessment: Finalize the specific memory, negative beliefs, and/or physical sensations to focus on for the session. Also, determine a statement that expresses a positive outcome sought or a new positive belief that can replace the negative ones.
- Desensitization: Before starting the session, the person is asked to state how valid that positive statement feels right at that moment. Also, using a scale of 1-10, the person is asked how emotionally disturbing the current situation feels. Then, utilizing bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping), bring up the memory, belief, or sensations; then take periodic short breaks to ask what emotions, questions, or thoughts come up. Then use these to start the process again.
- Installation: After rounds of exploring the target issue, introduce the positive beliefs the person would like to use to replace negative ones.
- Body Scan: Here, the person is re-questioned about their state of emotional disturbance as well as how they now feel about that positive statement.
- Closure: By the end of the session, return the person to a state of balance and calm. Even if the target issue is not totally resolved, strive to have the person be in a place of calm and emotional safety. The next session(s) can then be used to resume work on the issue. Also, give the person instructions as to self-care and relaxation tools, as well as to be observant of any emotions, insights, or body sensations that may come up afterward.
- Reevaluation: At the next session(s), review the effects of the EMDR session and anything that has come up since. Determine how effective the process was, and what the next steps will be in treatment.
Shapiro F. The role of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in medicine: addressing the psychological and physical symptoms stemming from adverse life experiences. Perm J. 2014 Winter;18(1):71-7. doi: 10.7812/TPP/13-098. PMID: 24626074; PMCID: PMC3951033. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3951033/
Additional online information about EMDR:
Key Aspects of EMDR Processing
How It Works: Based on the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, EMDR helps move stuck, fragmented, and traumatized memories to a more functional, integrated state…
Bilateral Stimulation: is believed to facilitate communication between brain hemispheres, allowing the client to stay present while processing past trauma.*
Processing vs. Other Therapies: Unlike traditional talk therapies, the goal of EMDR processing is not to analyze the memory but to change the way it is stored in the brain.
What to Expect During a Session
- Duration: Sessions generally run 60–90 minutes.
- “Just Notice”: Clients are encouraged to simply notice whatever thoughts, feelings, or physical sensations arise during the stimulation, allowing them to pass without judgment.*
- Reduced Intensity: Over time, the memory remains, but the vividness and intense emotional/physical “charge” (such as pain or terror) are significantly reduced, often replaced by a more positive, adaptive belief about oneself.
- Results: While not a “quick fix,” many patients see positive results, particularly for PTSD, within 3–12 sessions. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Resources for more information on EMDR:
Information about EMDR, the doctor who originated and developed the EMDR therapy process, as well as the various professional organizations for training, professional certification in EMDR therapy, and the non-profit foundations to support research and training.
Founder of EMDR – Dr. Francine Shapiro
https://www.emdr.com/francine-shapiro-ph-d/#intro
Dr. Shapiro is not only the Executive Director of the EMDR Institute in Watsonville, CA, but also founder and President Emeritus of the Trauma Recovery EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Programs, a non-profit organization that coordinates disaster response and low-fee trainings worldwide.
https://www.emdrhap.org/
EMDR Institute – Executive Director, Dr. Francine Shapiro
https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/
Provides the training for therapists
EMDRIA – EMDR International Association
https://www.emdria.org/
The association handles therapist membership, training credentialing, and certifications
EMDR Foundation
https://www.emdriafoundation.org/
American Psychological Association – EMDR
https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments/eye-movement-reprocessing
Back to the story
Now, on to the next post and my preparations for that upcoming EMDR session, the first one after the nine-year break…
Note:
I am seeking financial support to complete my memoir, work with an editor, and return home for fact-checking. Your help would mean the world to me as I take this step toward healing and giving voice to my journey.
Please like, comment, and share this post to help spread the word. The link for my fundraiser is on GoFundMe. Thank you for your support.
Soul Mosaic 
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