3 EMDR Exercises You Can Do at Home

You may have heard of EMDR therapy, especially after Prince Harry opened up about doing it. EMDR was created for trauma treatment, but it has since expanded its reach to other issues, like anxiety and chronic pain. Traditionally, EMDR therapy uses eye movements as the person revisits the traumatic memory while staying grounded in the present.

EMDR is supported by a lot of research and is considered one of the most effective trauma treatments out there. When it comes to anxiety and depression, EMDR also shows great results. A part of EMDR therapy is to encourage the person to create inner resources that promote peace. This is achieved through visualization and bilateral stimulation. Let me explain.

The Power of Visualization

Our brains are not great at telling the difference between real life and imagined scenery. When you visualize something, the same neural pathways light up as if you were doing the actual thing. In one study, people’s strength increased by 35% after simply thinking about contracting a muscle.

This is also known as “mental practice.” Many athletes, including the likes of tiger Woods and Muhammad Ali, use this technique to hone their skills. Visualizing is almost the same as doing. When you imagine something calming, your brain will calm itself.

The Power of Bilateral Music

If you download the guided audio for these exercises – and we highly suggest you do since it’s free – you will notice the music slowly travels from one ear to the other. This is not an accident but a form of bilateral stimulation. “Bilateral,” of course, means side-to-side. And “stimulation” can be in multiple forms: music, tapping on shoulders or knees, eye movements, etc.

The important part is that it alternates between your left and right side with a slow, steady speed. Slow speed is used to soothe and relax. Faster speed is used for processing and should not be used without professional guidance and supervision.

Bilateral music can be a powerful relaxation tool. Its meditative tone makes your thoughts flow like a river while you sit on the bank, observing with curiosity.

What These Exercises Do

After practicing these exercises, you should feel more relaxed physically, mentally, and emotionally. Do them one at a time or combine them together as you see fit. If you experience any unexpected discomfort while listening to these exercises, stop and do some deep breathing. These are meant to be calming, not triggering.

I am giving away 3 guided audios for these exercises. Each one is professionally composed and recorded to maximize the benefit of EMDR relaxation. These tracks combine the power of visualization and bilateral music to deliver a truly unique experience. You can download them below.

The Container

This exercise is designed to lighten – or contain – your negative emotions, thoughts, and body sensations. You visualize a container using your senses, slowly walking through what it looks, feels, smells, and sounds like. Then, you scan your body from head to toe, looking for any unpleasant sensations or emotions. Once you find them, you imagine watching them float out of the body and into the container. The container is then closed and put away until you want to re-open it again.

When you create a container, you can visualize almost anything you want, but refrain from using trash cans and similar objects. No one wants to treat their thoughts and emotions like garbage, so you may have trouble with the exercise.

Another common obstacle is not being able to put away all of your distressing sensations at once. That’s fine – containing 5 or 10% is better than none! The more you practice the container, the easier it will be to complete the task.

Download the guided audio and follow the soothing voice leading you through the visualization with gentle bilateral music. It’s free! Make sure to wear headphones to get the side-to-side effect.

The Lightstream

This exercise is used to target a single unpleasant or distressing sensation in the body. It’s useful when you have that tight knot of anxiety in your stomach or that hot flash of anger in your chest. You can also use it to get the negative feelings that did not fit into your container.

First, you find the negative sensation in your body, the one that’s the loudest. Then, you imagine it as a shape of whatever color comes to mind. You examine the kind of shape it is, its size, its temperature and texture, and its sound.

Once you have a vivid picture of this sensation, visualize a healing stream of light coming from above, through your head, and into the distressing shape in your body. Give this light a color and a temperature (but make sure the color is different from the shape’s color).

Simply sit and watch as the light interacts with the shape. Don’t force it or judge it – just notice. Observe if the shape changes in any way as the light vibrate around it. Continue doing so until the shape disappears or loses its negative quality.

Once you are no longer distressed, feel this light filling your whole body, starting from the head and slowly moving all the way into your fingertips and toes. Feel its temperature under your skin and enjoy its brightness and power.

The Calm Place

Our final exercise was created to produce peaceful, calming sensations and emotions. You imagine a place that is just right for you and no one else. It can have elements of real places you’ve been to, but make sure it is your space. Make it just right.

Once again, use your senses to map it out and really bring it to life. What do you see when you look around? What are the close-up and distant sounds? What are 3 things you can smell?

Once you visualize your Calm Place, spend some time there. If you are on a beach, feel the sand between your toes. Near a lake? Skip some stones. In a cozy cabin? Enjoy the fireplace roaring.

If your Calm Place becomes distressing in any way, simply change it to something different. You have the power to make this place just right every single time.

Once again, download the guided audio and let the soft sounds lead you on a journey of peace and relaxation. Try these exercises and see how much better you feel afterwards. Headphones required for full effect!

We offer EMDR therapy in our office. Contact us now with questions or to schedule an appointment!