Being Creative in EMDR Resourcing
Being creative in EMDR resourcing: Beyond the ‘calm place’
When most EMDR therapists think about resourcing, the first thing that comes to mind is often the ‘calm place’ visualisation. It’s a solid and widely taught technique, and for many clients, it works beautifully. But for others, it can feel inaccessible, awkward, or just not quite right.
That’s why it’s so important to broaden our understanding of what resourcing can look like.
Not everyone loves closed-eye visualisation
Some clients find visualisation incredibly difficult, especially those with aphantasia, or those who feel uneasy with introspective or imaginal tasks. Others, including many neurodivergent clients, may prefer external prompts and concrete sensory input over abstract or reflective activities.
In these cases, sticking rigidly to standard imaginal protocols may unintentionally leave clients feeling discouraged or excluded. Resourcing should be something that feels safe, accessible, and genuinely soothing, not just a tick-box exercise to get through Phase 2.
Think sensory, creative, and interactive
Resourcing doesn’t need to be confined to the imagination. In fact, some of the most effective resources are grounded in the here-and-now.
Here are just a few alternative ways to build resources with clients:
Listening to a favourite song
Flicking through photos of a pet or loved one
Enjoying a cup of tea, a comforting scent, or a soft texture
Creating a collage of meaningful images
Building a scene in a sand tray
Talking about a TV show, hobby, or special interest
Using symbolic cards or objects to represent support or safety
These approaches can help clients connect to soothing or empowering experiences in a way that feels more concrete, and often more authentic, than visualisation alone.
A simple four-step guide
Whether you’re using a traditional calm place or a creative alternative, the underlying process often follows a similar rhythm:
1. Identify
Work with the client to find something that feels grounding or nurturing, this could be an imagined figure, a sensory experience, or an activity that brings joy or calm.
2. Vivify
Bring the experience to life by engaging the senses. What does it look, sound, feel, or smell like? What stands out?
3. Embody
Help the client tune into where this resource shows up in their body. Can they notice warmth, calm, or a sense of strength?
4. Install
Use slow bilateral stimulation to help deepen the resource and anchor it into the client’s system.
Resourcing isn’t just for Phase 2
Although resourcing sits within Phase 2 of the standard EMDR protocol, I often encourage therapists to revisit these tools throughout the therapy process.
Resources can be used to help clients:
Regulate after a challenging reprocessing session
Soothe themselves between sessions
Get unstuck during Phase 4 using a resource-based interweave
In this way, resourcing becomes a reliable thread woven throughout the client’s EMDR journey, not just a one-off exercise to get through before the ‘real work’ begins.
Meeting clients where they are
Ultimately, resourcing is about supporting clients to feel safer, more regulated, and more connected to themselves. That might involve a nurturing figure, or it might involve their dog, their favourite mug, or a Taylor Swift song. The key is to stay collaborative, curious, and open to what resonates.
By expanding our toolkit and inviting creativity into our approach, we can offer resourcing that’s more inclusive, more meaningful, and better suited to the unique nervous system in front of us.
I'm Caroline Burrows, an Accredited EMDR Trainer and Consultant. I’m passionate about bridging the gap between EMDR training and clinical practice. If you're looking to learn EMDR therapy for the first time, enhance your EMDR skills, or navigate challenges in your EMDR clinical work, I offer training workshops, on-demand webinars, and consultation. I would love to support your EMDR learning journey.
