Preparation • Grounding • Support

A calm place to practice your EMDR resources.

Use this page between sessions to review resourcing activities, practice guided breathing, and remind your nervous system that you have tools available right now.

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Understanding EMDR

How EMDR helps the brain heal.

EMDR is based on the idea that the brain and body are designed to move toward healing. Resourcing helps you build enough regulation and support before approaching difficult material.

Your brain is designed to heal itself.

Most experiences are processed naturally and stored as memories. But when something is too overwhelming, the brain can get stuck. Instead of being filed away as “something that happened,” the memory stays active. It keeps triggering the same emotions, body sensations, and beliefs whenever something reminds you of it.

EMDR helps your brain pick up where it got stuck, finish processing the memory, and store it appropriately. The memory does not disappear—you simply no longer experience it as if you are still living it.

EMDR has eight phases, and we start by making sure you have the tools to feel safe and regulated before we process anything difficult. That is called resourcing. Once you are ready, EMDR helps your brain reprocess memories that have become “stuck.” The goal is not to forget what happened. The goal is to take the emotional charge out of the memory so it becomes part of your story instead of something that continues to control your present.

When memories feel stuck.

Think of your brain like a computer. Every day, it constantly processes information and saves files. Most experiences get sorted into the right folders automatically. But when something overwhelming happens, it is like the computer freezes right in the middle of saving the file. The file never gets where it belongs.

Because it is stuck, every time something reminds you of that experience, the computer tries to open the unfinished file again. It freezes, throws error messages, and slows everything else down. That is why you can logically know you are safe, but your body reacts as if the danger is happening right now.

EMDR helps your brain unfreeze that file so it can finish saving it. Once it is stored correctly, you can still open it if you choose—but it no longer pops up unexpectedly or crashes your whole system.

Phase 1History & planning
Phase 2Preparation & resourcing
Phase 3Assessment
Phase 4Desensitization
Phase 5Installation
Phase 6Body scan
Phase 7Closure
Phase 8Reevaluation
Important:

This website is a between-session support tool and does not replace therapy, crisis care, or your clinician’s guidance. If you feel unsafe or at risk of harming yourself or someone else, contact emergency services or a local crisis line immediately.

Whole-person care

The wellness wheel.

The wellness wheel is a reflective tool that looks at important areas of daily life and well-being. It can help you notice what feels supported, what may need attention, and where small, realistic changes could help you feel more balanced.

Wellness
Wheel
Home
Physical
Health
Mental
Health
Spirituality
Finances
Career
Relationships
Recreation

Home

Your living space, routines, sense of safety, and the environment you return to each day.

Ways to support this area
  • Clear one small surface, drawer, bag, or corner rather than trying to organize everything.
  • Create a calming cue in your space, such as a blanket, lamp, plant, photo, or grounding object.
  • Adjust light, sound, temperature, scent, or texture to better support your nervous system.
  • Build one simple home routine, such as a five-minute reset before bed or after work.
  • Notice which parts of your home feel restful and which parts feel stressful, then choose one small change.

Physical Health

How you care for your body through sleep, movement, nutrition, medical care, rest, and body awareness.

Ways to support this area
  • Choose a consistent bedtime, wake-up time, or wind-down routine when possible.
  • Take a short walk, stretch gently, or move your body in a way that feels accessible.
  • Drink water, eat something nourishing, or check in with hunger and fullness cues.
  • Schedule medical, dental, vision, medication, or other health follow-up when needed.
  • Practice listening to your body’s early signals for rest, pain, tension, or overwhelm.

Mental Health

Your emotional well-being, coping skills, thought patterns, stress level, trauma recovery, and support systems.

Ways to support this area
  • Name what you are feeling with simple words such as sad, anxious, angry, numb, relieved, or overwhelmed.
  • Use grounding or breathing before trying to analyze or solve the feeling.
  • Write down thoughts for five minutes to create distance from rumination.
  • Practice one resourcing activity from this site when you are within your window of tolerance.
  • Bring patterns, triggers, or strong reactions to therapy so you do not have to hold them alone.

Spirituality

Your connection to meaning, values, faith, purpose, nature, culture, community, or something larger than yourself.

Ways to support this area
  • Spend a few minutes in prayer, meditation, reflection, nature, music, ritual, or silence.
  • Identify one value you want to live closer to this week, such as honesty, compassion, courage, or peace.
  • Notice moments of gratitude, awe, connection, or meaning, even if they are small.
  • Reconnect with a spiritual, cultural, or community practice that feels supportive.
  • Ask yourself, “What helps me feel connected to something beyond survival mode?”

Finances

Your relationship with money, resources, planning, stability, financial stress, and choices around spending or saving.

Ways to support this area
  • Look at one account, bill, due date, or financial task at a time.
  • Create a simple list of recurring expenses or upcoming payment dates.
  • Set one realistic financial step, such as making a call, opening mail, or saving a small amount.
  • Notice shame, avoidance, or urgency with compassion; financial stress can affect the nervous system.
  • Ask for practical support from a trusted person, financial counselor, benefits office, or community resource if needed.

Career

Your work, school, caregiving, volunteering, daily roles, purpose, boundaries, and sense of growth or contribution.

Ways to support this area
  • Identify one priority task and one task that can wait.
  • Take a short break before you feel completely depleted.
  • Clarify expectations, deadlines, or responsibilities when possible.
  • Practice one work or role boundary, such as pausing before saying yes or ending at a planned time.
  • Reflect on what feels meaningful, draining, sustainable, or out of alignment in your current role.

Relationships

Your connections with friends, family, partners, coworkers, community, and the boundaries that help relationships feel safer.

Ways to support this area
  • Reach out to one safe-enough person with a simple check-in or invitation.
  • Notice which relationships feel supportive, neutral, draining, or activating.
  • Practice a small boundary, such as asking for time to think before responding.
  • Let yourself receive support in manageable amounts rather than doing everything alone.
  • Consider what qualities help relationships feel respectful, reciprocal, and emotionally safe.

Recreation

Play, creativity, hobbies, pleasure, rest, exploration, and activities that help life feel larger than stress or responsibility.

Ways to support this area
  • Schedule a small enjoyable activity, even if it only lasts ten minutes.
  • Return to an old hobby or try something low-pressure and new.
  • Notice what feels playful, creative, funny, peaceful, or absorbing.
  • Practice rest or enjoyment without turning it into another performance goal.
  • Make a short list of activities that help you feel like yourself.
Resourcing activities

Choose a resource to practice.

Resources are skills that help your nervous system remember steadiness, support, and choice. They are especially useful before and after difficult conversations, EMDR sessions, or activating moments.

Guided breathing

Practice a slower rhythm.

Choose a pattern, press start, and let the circle guide your pace. You can stop at any time. If breathwork feels uncomfortable, simply look around the room and name what you see instead.

Get comfortable

Place both feet on the floor or notice support under your body. Let your shoulders soften if that feels okay.

Follow the words

Breathe in, hold if the pattern includes it, and breathe out slowly. There is no perfect way to do this.

Return gently

When finished, notice the date, the room you are in, and one thing that reminds you the present is different from the past.

Box breathing

—

Select a pattern and press start when you are ready.

Grounding in the present

Quick ways to come back to now.

If you notice activation, numbness, racing thoughts, shutdown, or feeling “far away,” start with orientation and grounding before trying to analyze the feeling.

Orient to the room

Turn your head slowly and let your eyes land on colors, shapes, light, doors, windows, and objects. Remind yourself: “I am here, now.”

Notice support

Feel your feet on the floor, your back against the chair, or your hands resting somewhere. Let the support do some of the work.

Use sensory input

Hold a cool drink, wrap in a blanket, smell lotion, name sounds, or touch a textured object. Sensory cues can help the brain locate the present.

5–4–3–2–1 grounding

Name five things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste or one thing you appreciate about this moment.

5See
4Feel
3Hear
2Smell
1Taste
Reminders

Common questions.

That is useful information, not a failure. You can stop, orient to the room, and talk with your therapist about adjusting the resource. Resourcing should feel supportive enough, not forced.

No. Use this page for preparation, regulation, and grounding between sessions. Reprocessing difficult memories should happen with your trained clinician’s support.

Stop the exercise, orient to the present, use grounding, and reach out according to your therapy plan. If you are in immediate danger or feel unable to stay safe, contact emergency services or a crisis resource right away.