“Before we process the memory, we must first meet the body.”
When we talk about trauma, we often default to the familiar shorthand: fight, flight, freeze. But the nervous system is far more nuanced than a three-option survival menu. As therapists, deepening our understanding of these statesโand how they show up in EMDR sessionsโis essential for offering grounded, attuned care.
Polyvagal theory, introduced by Dr. Stephen Porges, offers a valuable framework for understanding how the autonomic nervous system prioritizes safetyโnot just survival. Rather than thinking of trauma responses as binaries, polyvagal theory shows us a fluid hierarchy:
Clients may move up or down this map even within a single session. Rather than pathologizing these shifts, polyvagal theory invites us to recognize them as adaptive responses to the felt sense of safetyโor threat.
EMDR follows an eight-phase structureโbut its true power lies in real-time attunement to the client’s nervous system. A client experiencing sympathetic activation may rush through sets or feel scattered. In dorsal shutdown, they may become distant or dissociated.
Recognizing the signsโrushed speech, flat affect, physical stillnessโis key to responsive care.
Regulation isnโt a detour from EMDRโitโs baked into the work. While Phase 2 (Preparation) invites explicit framing of stabilization, regulation can and should happen throughout every phase.
Here are some polyvagal-informed tools you can weave in:
These tools help clients shift from “failing at EMDR” toward “my system is doing its job.”
EMDR isnโt a rote protocolโitโs a responsive artform. When we track the body as much as we track memory, we can flex the protocol with safety:
These are not deviationsโtheyโre clinical attunement in action.
Trauma imprints not only memory but the bodyโs map of expectation. Supporting that map through EMDR is more than memory updatingโitโs re-patterning the system of safety itself.
As you continue refining your practice:
Pause. Listen. Ask: What is the nervous system inviting me to do right now?
Then respondโwith presence, skill, and care.
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 bachelorโs and masterโs degrees in social work and a masterโs 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.ย
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.ย
Dr. Jose Carbajal, a U.S. Army veteran, earned his bachelorโs and masterโs degrees in social work and a masterโs 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.
