by Elena Engle, LMHC-S | Mar 10, 2026 | EMDR Skills
There was a client who was in Phase 4 of EMDR and got stuck in a scene. This scene was not a traumatic event, but they could not get out, and were resisting all suggestions of interweaves. Even the suggestion of bringing someone with them to help them get out. “No, I...
by Elena Engle, LMHC-S | Mar 3, 2026 | EMDR Skills
There are times in EMDR work when the past is not the most urgent thing in the room. Not because it isn’t important, and not because it doesn’t matter, but because the present is already demanding more than the nervous system can reasonably hold. Readiness for...
by Elena Engle, LMHC-S | Feb 24, 2026 | EMDR Skills
I just finished an EMDR session with a client. Her Phase 5 was so cool. She has struggled with anxiety her whole life, and has always been at odds with it. She’s an I don’t matter person and we were targeting an astronomical electric bill (she shares an account with...
by Elena Engle, LMHC-S | Feb 17, 2026 | EMDR Skills
There’s a difference between helping a client regulate and assessing whether they have the capacity to do so on their own, and EMDR has a way of making that difference impossible to ignore. Regulation can be taught, modeled, even temporarily borrowed from the...
by Elena Engle, LMHC-S | Feb 10, 2026 | EMDR Skills
Abreactions happen during EMDR reprocessing. There is a beginning, middle and end with every abreaction. My guess is the most common abreaction is crying. Quick, shallow breaths and dryness in the throat would also be at the top of the list of abreactions I’ve seen....
