Healing with EMDR: An Introductory Workshop

About this event

Do some memories still feel charged, long after the events have passed? Does a sound, smell, or a tone of voice ever pull you back into old situations, as if they were happening all over again? Do you have distressing or uncomfortable emotions associated with these episodes? EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a well-researched approach that helps the brain finish processing these “stuck” experiences, so they become memories rather than triggers.

In this introductory workshop, you’ll learn how EMDR works and why it’s become one of the most widely used approaches for healing stress and trauma. You’ll also try some of the simple, soothing tools that EMDR therapists use to help people feel grounded and resourced.

What we’ll explore:

• What EMDR is, where it came from, and what the research says

• How the brain and nervous system store overwhelming experiences

• Bilateral stimulation: what it is and why it helps

• Guided resourcing practices, including the “Calm Place” and the “Butterfly Hug”

• Ways to steady yourself when old feelings get stirred up in daily life

• Time for questions, reflection and optional sharing in pairs

Agenda

2:00 Partnered conversation to land 2:10 Meditation 2:20 Introductions and opening shares 2:30 Authentic relating 2:45 Introduction to EMDR 3:00 Resourcing exercise 3:30 Break 3:40 EMDR-inspired processing exercise 4:10 Authentic relating 4:30 Break 4:40 Closing circle

The exercises will be bookended by authentic relating that will help participants get to know each other and create a safe space.

Who this is for

Anyone looking to understand themselves better and grow. You don’t have to have trauma or current grief. You don’t need a background in EMDR, therapy, meditation or somatic work. This is designed as a first door in. If you’ve done EMDR or other inner work before, this is a chance to deepen your practice and add self-regulation tools to your toolkit.

This is a peer healing circle, not therapy or a substitute for clinical care. Full EMDR therapy is done one-on-one with a trained clinician, and we will not be processing significant trauma in the group. Information about ongoing coaching and EMDR therapy options will be shared at the end.

What to bring

Comfortable clothes, water, perhaps journal if you'd like to take notes.

Facilitators

Ethan Bliss, Ph.D is a licensed psychologist with more than two decades of experience in a wide range of therapeutic approaches. He has extensive experience working with people with anxiety, depression, trauma, autism, bipolar disorder, and obsessive compulsive issues. He is the director of Center for Integrative Healthcare in Frederick, Maryland. He holds a PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Miami and an M.A. in Community Counseling from St. Mary's University.

Clara Fang, Ph.D is a wellness facilitator and social justice advocate who brings people together to connect more deeply in community. She is an experienced facilitator of authentic relating, ecstatic dance, meditation, and healing gatherings. She is the founder of Green Tara Consulting , which helps groups build equity, inclusion, and belonging through training, advocacy, and stragic planning. She holds a PhD in environmental studies from Antioch University and Master of Environmental Management from Yale.

From Green Tara Community