EMDR Resourcing
EMDR Resourcing Explained:
EMDR Resourcing serves to help clients change and manage their own affect and self-soothe in
the face of difficulty. By tapping into personal strengths, skills, connections, positive memories and
more, clients can generate the internal and external resources they need to feel safe and in control.
There are an unlimited number of potential resources that could be used in this process, but the most
common include an emphasis on safety, nurturing, protection, connection, and containment – all of
which are important elements for trauma recovery.
In the same way that remembering or imagining negative/traumatic events impacts how we feel,
remembering or imagining positive experiences also impacts how we feel in the present moment.
Therefore, as your build your resource list, it’s important to choose items that are free from conflict and
offer encouragement.
Specific Resources:
Preliminary Note:
It’s helpful to use archetypal figures as positive resources rather than actual family members to avoid
mixed feelings or negative associations coming up. Consider potential heroes from pop-culture, spiritual
figures, characters from movies or books, etc.
Nurturing Figure: real or perceived figures that make you feel cared for and loved.
Examples: blanket, beautiful lullaby or passed down song, a hand stroking my hair, picture from
camp, Mr. Rogers, Mary Poppins, teacher from middle school, mother nature, mother earth
Protective Figure: real or perceived figures that make you feel protected and strong.
Examples: a big shield, guard dog, Iron Man suit, good luck charm, protection spell, firefighter,
nurse, sports teammates, Hercules, Batman, older brother, a magic bubble, swat team, Thor
Animal Resource: animals are often the best examples of unconditional love and instinctual protection.
Connecting with an animal resource can be an immediate way to access positive feelings of love, joy
and comfort.
Examples: a pet, an animal from nature (e.g., strong lion, birds of flight, beautiful butterfly after
metamorphosis), or a fantasy animal like a dragon, unicorn or phoenix
Wisdom Figure: real or perceived figures that make you feel wise and knowledgable.
Examples: authors, scholars, professors, philosophers, books, Dalai Lama, Yoda, historic
champions, Native American figures, professional mentor, father time, old oak tree, owls
Future Healthy Self: imagine yourself in the future when treatment is complete. Describe what your life
would be like, what would be different, how you would feel, and what you’d be doing as your future
healthy self.
Examples: “I would be sober, happy, independent, and have a job I like.” “Me holding my degree in
my hand, with a husband, children and a great job.” “Having a lot of friends and functioning well.”
“Balanced and happy.”
Conflict Free Image: neutral, positive-leaning, figures that make you feel untroubled and at-ease.
Examples: beach, meadow, mountain, stream, hot air balloon, garden, swimming in open water
Safe (Enough) Place Resource: where is a place in the world where you feel safe (enough) - calm,
peaceful, relaxed, maybe the best you’ve ever felt? It could be a favorite place in nature, a place you’ve
visited once before, or even a completely imagined place. Develop a vivid image of this place with all of
its features and furnishings, including anyone else there you feel safe with. This is your personal
sanctuary of safety.
Examples: sitting outside on the fire escape of my first apartment, old bunk at summer camp during
flashlight time, grassy field behind my house with my dog on a sunny day, best friend’s bedroom,
third floor porch of the beach house we rented for a week ten summers ago, driving in my car, that
one bench in the park, favorite booth at Denny’s, etc. — make your place even more sensory
Container Resource: developing an imaginary container for difficult memories, feelings, sensations, or
thoughts allows you to control the amount of material you’re accessing at any given time. It reduces
negative processing between sessions and provides one with a sense of power to be in charge of what
they are thinking and feeling. The function of this resource is not to repress or avoid, but to safely
contain difficult material so that it can be addressed later.
Examples: steel safe with a dial lock that gets buried underground, seamless fiberglass box
wrapped in chains and thrown into the ocean, small wooden chest with a brass lock placed high up
on a closet shelf
Resource Extending: identify a skill, strength or resource you feel will help you deal with the trauma.
What do you feel you need inside to be able to cope and/or respond differently?
Think of a time when you felt _______ (whatever the identified need), when you really faced the
issue and did what you needed to do even though you were afraid.
What image represents that experience?
If you have difficulty thinking of a positive resource or figure of any kind, try to use a state of
being as a resource generator:
Do you remember a time when you really felt ______?
What were the circumstances?
Then, use something from that memory to identify a figure.
Thought Defusion Metaphors:
• Imagine sitting in a field and watching your thoughts/memory float away on clouds
• Picture sitting near a stream and watching your thoughts/memory float past on leaves
• Picture your thoughts/memory written in the sand and watch the waves wash them away
• Envision yourself driving a car and see your thoughts/memory as scenery going by
• Imagine watching your memory on a screen and you have the remote to stop or pause at any time
• See your thoughts leave your head and watch them sizzle in the flame of a candle
Conclusion:
All of these resources are useful on their own for emotional regulation and coping with the
aftermath of trauma. These resources empower one to take back control of their inner experience. For
many, the resourcing process is a “corrective emotional experience” which in itself helps to reverse the
impact of traumatic experience. Furthermore, if needed, these resources can be integrated into the
EMDR processing phase in the future to help renegotiate traumatic memories and images.
For more information on EMDR or to find an EMDR therapist, please visit www.EMDRIA.org
