Exploring EMDR Grounding Techniques with a Denver EMDR Therapist
By Jordan Kurtz, MA, LPCC, EMDR Therapist
How Your EMDR Therapist Keeps You Safe and Grounded During Trauma Processing
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy, is an evidence-based trauma-processing protocol that helps neutralize distressing memories the body has stored over time. When we encounter a stressful event, our body activates fight or flight systems to promote protection. After the stressful event is over, our bodies return to a normal state of functioning and while the memory may be painful to remember, it does not negatively impact us daily.
What Causes Stored Trauma in the Body?
Depending on our biochemical makeup, the severity of the stressor, and our network of social support, sometimes traumatic experiences are not processed by our bodies in an adaptive way, and they become stuck in our nervous system. It feels like anything pertaining to the trauma- smells, sights, tastes, people associated with it, images and more- are still with us in the present: we cannot escape the danger of the past even though we are safe in the moment. This can alter our ability to feel safe in public, within trusted relationships and with strangers, our sleep, general mood, as well as our worldviews as a whole. Denver EMDR therapy is a tool that the trauma therapists at CZTG use to help us process the past in a safe way with specific attunement to your nervous system.
Will EMDR Therapy Re-Traumatize Me?
Whether clients are doing typical “talk therapy” or EMDR, there is often valid concern about being re-triggered. Meaning, if I go through this treatment, is it going to make me feel worse than my current baseline? The CZTG answer is this: all modalities of therapy, regardless of your therapist’s level of experience, can involve discussion of emotions and experiences that produce discomfort. However, the EMDR therapists at our Denver therapy practice are trauma-informed, meaning they are well-versed in understanding the line between discomfort and reproducing a state of danger. Each EMDR therapist on our team has lots of supervision, trainings, and protocols in place to ensure you remain within your “window of tolerance” at all times. Our window of tolerance refers to the zone of comfort in which our nervous system is regulated and capable of being present, safe, and grounded. Read on to learn about specific grounding techniques used in the EMDR process that maintain your window of tolerance.
What the Process Looks Like Before EMDR Begins
Before the processing part of EMDR begins, your therapist begins with Phase 1, known as History Taking and Treatment Planning. In this phase, your therapist learns not only about why you are seeking treatment, but who you are as a person: medical history, mental health history, family system, social support network, cultural identities, sexual and gender orientation, and your value system. Your therapist will also inquire about how you ordinarily cope with stressors to get a sense of what physiological and emotional responses are typical for you when triggers arise. They will then walk you through a Treatment Planning worksheet, which captures what memories/incident/response patterns are causing distress. These become “targets” for processing in the later stages of EMDR. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR focuses more on body responses than verbalizations, so the Treatment Planning process will not feel like an interrogation that demands you recount all details of your trauma in full.
Phase 2 is known as Preparation, where your therapist will introduce distress regulation tools that can be used before, during, and after processing periods. This is also the phase where your therapist will explain in more depth how bilateral stimulation works (the back and forth eye or body movement that is part of processing), what to expect on your end when processing begins, and things the therapist will say and do during processing.
Curious to explore more about EMDR therapy and what it feels like to work with a Denver EMDR therapist on our team? Check out our previous blogs on all things EMDR therapy:
EMDR Grounding Techniques
Below are examples of coping mechanisms your EMDR therapist will introduce and model for you to do together and on your own. The goal of grounding techniques is to use breath and narrowed focus to help our bodies reorient to a state of safety. Your EMDR therapist will likely introduce you to all of these and more, but you are the one who determines what is most soothing for you. Your therapist will use their own language to introduce the technique- the examples below are paraphrases.
Containment
With eyes open or closed, allow your mind to create an image of a container that can hold your distress. Together, let’s bring this image to life in as much detail as possible. There is no right or wrong container, as long as it can securely hold what feels disturbing.
With this next breath, notice what color the container is. (Pause). It’s texture. (Pause). It’s size. (Pause). The material it is made of. (Pause). Notice if it has any locks or security measures attached to it (Pause). What are you seeing?
Now, let’s imagine placing whatever feels distressing- the images, thoughts, emotions, and sensations tied to it- inside that container. You can envision us doing this together, you with someone else you trust, or on your own. You can do this quickly, or it may take you a while. Take as long as you need to envision tucking it away and let me know when you’re ready.
Really good. Lastly, let’s place this container somewhere where it cannot be opened easily. Envision yourself taking it there, whether it is somewhere near, far, or imaginary.
*End with rounds of breath and tucking anything else into the container if necessary*
Stream of Light
With eyes open or closed, begin to imagine a gentle orb of light hovering over your head. It can be any size, shape or color, as long as its something you associate with healing or calm. Once you have an image of this orb over your head, give me a signal.
Now, let’s invite in other details about this healing light. Notice if it has a temperature, a texture, a sound, or a weight.
On this next exhale, envision this light beginning to drip down your forehead, trickling down your eyelids, softening your cheeks and jaw. It’s making its way down your throat and the back of your neck – notice if your body wants to move in any way as the orb continues to travel downwards. It is passing through your shoulders and arms, weaving down your spine, and passing through your stomach, allowing more breath to fill your lungs.
The further this light travels, the stronger it becomes. Notice how it feels as it passes down your hips, through your thighs and legs, and pools at the base of your toes. Send this light to anywhere in your body that is still holding tension, and envision the light permeating it and breaking the tension into little pieces.
On this last breath, envision the light shining within every pore of your body, celebrating the work you have done today and rewarding you with calm.
Explore EMDR Therapy in Denver, CO.
Curious to learn more about EMDR therapy in Denver, CO? Follow these three steps to connect with a Denver EMDR therapist at CZTG:
Schedule a free 20-minute consult call to see if EMDR therapy at CZTG is right for you.
Connect with the EMDR therapist of your choice via a phone consult.
Begin your path towards healing!
Meet The Writer: Jordan Kurtz, EMDR Therapist in Denver, CO.
Jordan Kurtz (she/her) is a Denver EMDR therapist, couples counselor, and staff writer at CZTG. Jordan focuses on therapy for trauma, grief, adolescence, and relationships. Her approach is authentic, warm, and affirming, which she interweaves throughout her use of advanced evidence-based modalities, including EMDR, Emotion Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT), and somatic therapy. She provides EMDR therapy in Denver and virtually throughout the state of Colorado. If you’d like to work with Jordan, feel free to reach out to schedule a consultation call.