The Therapist's Inner System
What Happens Inside the Clinician During EMDR?
We spend a lot of time learning about the client's internal world.
But what about ours?
The therapist is not a neutral observer sitting outside the therapeutic process. Remember, EMDR is a relational therapy. During EMDR, clinicians can experience uncertainty, urgency, protectiveness, frustration, anxiety, rescue impulses, boredom, disconnection, or the sudden thought:
"Oh no. What do I do now?"
Those internal reactions aren't necessarily signs that you're doing something wrong.
They may be clinical information.
This workshop invites therapists to become more curious about their own internal responses during EMDR and explore how therapist reactions can influence pacing, interventions, attunement, and clinical decision-making.
You'll explore:
What happens inside the therapist during trauma processing
Therapist anxiety and the urge to "fix" or rescue
Countertransference and clinical self-awareness
How your own nervous-system responses can show up in sessions
Recognizing when urgency is coming from the therapist rather than the client
Staying curious when you feel stuck
Using internal reactions as information without acting them out
Maintaining dual awareness as the clinician
Increasing confidence when sessions don't go according to plan
Developing greater flexibility, attunement, and clinical presence