How EMDR can help teens and young adults feel more secure inside and out
EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a popular
therapy model that is most commonly used to treat PTSD. It can also be extremely
effective in supporting teens and young adults with anxiety, depression and other mental
health struggles. By tapping into the brain’s natural cycle of memory processing, EMDR
helps clients reframe negative experiences, break harmful thought patterns, and even
desensitize them to certain triggers.
Creating a strong sense of safety is the starting point for effective EMDR and the
foundation for broader mental healing. “Safety” in therapy refers to how comfortable you
feel being vulnerable with your therapist emotionally, as well as the feeling of being
physically safe in the therapy room. The safer and more comfortable you feel in therapy
— both internally and externally — the more easily you’ll be able to extend that sense of
safety to other facets of your life.
What is internal safety?
Internal safety is the ability to feel “ok” inside. It’s a general sense that you can regulate
your emotions and body sensations toward a place that feels like a comfortable
baseline. One of the primary goals in therapy is to help you establish this sense of
internal peace and stability. Internal safety is easier to build the more at ease you feel in
your relationship with your therapist, so it’s important to find someone you trust enough
to be open and honest during your time together. When you feel safe in therapy, your
therapist can help you strengthen this sense of safety into your everyday life using
techniques like EMDR.
EMDR uses an 8-phase, evidence-based approach to help clients reprocess and
reframe negative experiences — especially those related to trauma, anxiety,
depression, or phobias. Beginning in the initial phase of EMDR, we commonly use tools
like “container,” “calm place,” or other guided imagery exercises to help you build a
sense of internal safety.
What is external safety?
External safety refers to your feeling of physical well-being in a given environment.
External safety can be built through calming environments like quiet spaces, peaceful
music, or being with a therapist who validates and understands you. Whether you meet
with your therapist in person or online, your therapist should contribute to this sense of
safety, both during your session and in your daily life.
Oftentimes, our clients struggle with external safety due to past trauma. EMDR helps
teens and young adults in this area by helping them to identify and reprocess traumatic
memories. It can help reduce the effects of external triggers, and support the creation of
new, positive experiences and beliefs.
What to expect from EMDR
The first phase of EMDR is history taking, which typically consists of the first one to four
sessions of therapy. During this phase, your therapist will learn about your challenges
and goals. We will ask questions about your current symptoms, your past, and whatever
else you feel is important for us to know. Through this process, we learn what you need
for a productive therapy environment.
The second phase of EMDR is the preparation phase. The goal of this phase is to
support our clients in future processing of trauma. We accomplish this through co-
regulation — a technique that helps you regulate your emotions with your therapist’s
help. This phase will allow you to gain some new insight into your thoughts and feelings,
which also helps to improve your overall sense of safety.
The preparation phase is complete when you feel able to use EMDR skills to manage
feelings, reactions, and thoughts to everyday stressors as well as past trauma. These
skills are also highly beneficial for strengthening feelings of internal and external safety.
Let’s connect
We know how hard it is to feel safe when you’re dealing with trauma, depression, or
anxiety. If you’re looking to feel calm, grounded, and more like yourself again, we would
love to show you how we can help you through EMDR.