“We teach it by the numbers, but you learn to use it by the beauty.”
EMDR is often taught as a protocol—a sequence of steps, memorized and practiced until they become second nature. This structure is vital. It creates safety, clarity, and confidence for both therapist and client.
But structure alone isn’t enough.
Life, as we know, doesn’t follow a script. Clients arrive with layers of complexity: trauma histories, cultural nuances, nervous systems wired for protection. If we cling too tightly to the step-by-step format, we risk missing the uniqueness of the person in front of us.
EMDR starts out rigid—”painting-by-the-numbers”—but over time, it flows into a watercolor of delight. The shift from technician to improviser is one of the most important transitions a therapist can make. We begin with a standardized method. But we learn to use it with intuition, flexibility, and presence.
This doesn’t mean abandoning the protocol. It means understanding it so well that we know when and how to adapt it. Like a jazz musician who’s mastered scales and theory but can now improvise within structure, much like a modern dancer improvises with spontaneous movements created in the moment
Each of us eventually builds our own internal database—a collection of lived experiences that inform how EMDR works for us. What worked in training may not land in practice. And that’s okay. It’s expected.
The question becomes: Am I getting the results I’m expecting? What’s working here? What’s not? Therapy becomes a process of noticing, adjusting, and learning alongside the client.
The protocol remains. But in the Now it breathes.
~ Jordan Shafer/nmm
The structured protocol helps ensure that therapy progresses safely and systematically, guiding assessment, preparation, memory processing, and evaluation while reducing the risk of overwhelming the client.
Yes. While the eight-phase protocol remains consistent, therapists tailor pacing, preparation, resourcing, and interventions to each client’s history, symptoms, developmental stage, and treatment goals.
The eight phases include history taking, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and reevaluation. Together, these phases create a comprehensive framework for trauma treatment.
Amanda Martin holds a PhD in Family Therapy and is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor, and EMDRIA Approved Consultant. With over 14 years of experience, she specializes in trauma therapy for individuals and families in residential and outpatient settings. Amanda also provides supervision for EMDR certification, EMDR consultants-in-training, and LMFT-Associates. Her mission is to help people find a healthy, joyful, and fulfilling path in life. Her warm, supportive, and interactive counseling style incorporates Symbolic Experiential Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, EMDR, HeartMath, Animal-Assisted Therapy, Neurofeedback, and Collaborative Problem Solving.
Dr. Jose Carbajal, a U.S. Army veteran, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work and a master’s in theological studies from Baylor University, and a Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington. With over 15 years of clinical experience and extensive teaching experience, Jose specializes in trauma, sexual abuse recovery, domestic violence, and substance abuse. His research focuses on trauma interventions, neuroscience, and faith. He is EMDR Certified, an Approved Consultant, and an EMDRIA Approved Trainer, with numerous publications and professional presentations to his name.
Amber holds a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Regent University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in both Texas and Oklahoma and holds Supervisor credential for Texas. Amber is an EMDRIA consultant and trainer. She has over a decade of experience in the trauma field in work with uniformed services, domestic violence, childhood trauma and abuse, and recent mass trauma events. Amber provides consultation for EMDRIA certification, for consultants-in-training, and supervision for LPC-Associates. Amber continues to research the benefits of EMDR therapy with a variety of populations. Her goal is to help build strong clinicians who are well versed in trauma interventions to better support their clients. Amber sees a limited number of clients with a focus on trauma work, she is also a Certified Career Counselor and Certified through EAGALA to provide equine-assisted therapy.
Amber holds a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Regent University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in both Texas and Oklahoma and holds Supervisor credential for Texas. Amber is an EMDRIA consultant and trainer. She has over a decade of experience in the trauma field in work with uniformed services, domestic violence, childhood trauma and abuse, and recent mass trauma events. Amber provides consultation for EMDRIA certification, for consultants-in-training, and supervision for LPC-Associates. Amber continues to research the benefits of EMDR therapy with a variety of populations. Her goal is to help build strong clinicians who are well versed in trauma interventions to better support their clients. Amber sees a limited number of clients with a focus on trauma work, she is also a Certified Career Counselor and Certified through EAGALA to provide equine-assisted therapy.
Dr. Jose Carbajal, a U.S. Army veteran, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work and a master’s in theological studies from Baylor University, and a Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington. With over 15 years of clinical experience and extensive teaching experience, Jose specializes in trauma, sexual abuse recovery, domestic violence, and substance abuse. His research focuses on trauma interventions, neuroscience, and faith. He is EMDR Certified, an Approved Consultant, and an EMDRIA Approved Trainer, with numerous publications and professional presentations to his name.
Amanda Martin holds a PhD in Family Therapy and is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor, and EMDRIA Approved Consultant. With over 14 years of experience, she specializes in trauma therapy for individuals and families in residential and outpatient settings. Amanda also provides supervision for EMDR certification, EMDR consultants-in-training, and LMFT-Associates. Her mission is to help people find a healthy, joyful, and fulfilling path in life. Her warm, supportive, and interactive counseling style incorporates Symbolic Experiential Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, EMDR, HeartMath, Animal-Assisted Therapy, Neurofeedback, and Collaborative Problem Solving.
