EMDR Therapy in Play Therapy
Written by Michele Kamerman, M.A., LPC, RPT
Senior Lead Play Therapist
EMDR Trained
First of all, what is EMDR?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, a type of therapy often used to treat clients who have experienced trauma. After a traumatic event, individuals may struggle with negative self-talk and emotional distress. EMDR helps reprocess these events, allowing clients to form a more positive outlook. To reprocess the trauma, the brain is activated through bilateral stimulation, which can involve techniques like eye movements, vibrating tappers, or even tapping on the shoulders using the "butterfly hug" technique. As the client processes, they begin to pair the trauma with more positive, empowering beliefs.
Who can benefit from EMDR?
EMDR can be beneficial for people suffering from a variety of issues, including:
PTSD
Anxiety
Depression
Anger issues
Chronic pain
OCD
Phobias
Addiction
Children… Wait, Children??
Yes, children can benefit from EMDR, too!
Children often use play therapy to process trauma. Play allows them to work through their experiences in a safe, comfortable way, using toys and games that meet them emotionally where they are. These props serve as metaphors, and the child assigns meaning to their play. The clinician will observe the various themes in the child’s play to track their emotional progress.
While play therapy is highly effective and beneficial for children, there are times when EMDR can further support the child's healing.
So, You Expect a Child to Do Eye Movements?!
Not necessarily! EMDR with children looks different from EMDR with adults. As a clinician, I don’t expect a child—who may have experienced trauma—to sit still for bilateral stimulation. A child’s portal for learning is typically visual or kinesthetic, while adults learn more easily through auditory means. To meet a child where they are, we adapt the therapy to fit their learning style. For example, bilateral stimulation with children can include activities like foam sword fighting, drawing side-to-side, stomping, using the butterfly hug, drumming, and even playing with puppets.
What Does EMDR Look Like?
There are eight phases that make up the EMDR therapy process:
Phase 1: History Taking – Gathering a trauma list from the child in a playful way.
Phase 2: Preparation – Building rapport and developing regulation skills, including coping techniques and using music, movement, drawing, and play.
Phase 3: Assessment – Identifying the targeted memory to work on, the negative cognition tied to that memory, and what positive belief the child would prefer to have about themselves. This might involve picking a positive cognition from a list or a prop (e.g., a soccer ball).
Phase 4: Desensitization – Using bilateral stimulation to activate the brain and target the specific memory. The therapist checks in with the child, asking them to rate how activated they feel on a scale of 0-10. If the memory becomes too overwhelming, the therapist will use grounding techniques to help the child regulate.
Phase 5: Installation – Pairing the positive cognition with the targeted memory.
Phase 6: Body Scan – The child scans their body for any lingering discomfort.
Phase 7: Closure – The child practices grounding and regulation skills to relax and calm their body.
Phase 8: Reevaluation – A check-in about the child’s emotional state since the last session, often including feedback from parents.
Reach Out to Us!
We understand that this information can be overwhelming as a parent. It can be difficult to know the best course of action when it comes to choosing the right therapy approach for your child. If you have any questions about EMDR or play therapy, please don’t hesitate to contact our office.