EMDR Stabilization Therapy Murray UT

I get it. You’re living with this constant hum of anxiety in the background. It’s that feeling of being on high alert all the time, something so many of us here in the Murray and greater Salt Lake City area know well. You’re a pro at juggling work, family, maybe even caring for aging parents, but your own nervous system feels like its working against you. It’s exhausting.

In this article, I’m going to pull back the curtain on a part of EMDR therapy that many people dont know about. A lot of people think EMDR is just about diving into traumatic memories, but that’s not the whole picture. We’re not going to dive into the deep end right away. Instead, I’ll share three foundational secrets to building a sense of inner calm and stability before we even tackle the big stuff. This is the magic of EMDR resourcing and stabilization.

I remember a client, a teacher from right here in Murray, who first came to me feeling completely overwhelmed. She described her anxiety as a constant storm inside her. We spent our first few sessions not talking about the storm, but instead, just building her toolkit of resources. I’ll never forget the look on her face when she realized, for the first time in years, that she could create her own calm in the middle of that storm. That’s the power we’re going to talk about today.

What is EMDR Resourcing? (Your Secret Weapon)

So what is this “resourcing” I keep mentioning? Think of it like this: you wouldn’t build a house on a shaky foundation, right? You’d pour the concrete, let it set, and make sure it’s strong enough to hold the weight of the walls and roof. EMDR resourcing is the exact same concept, but for your mind. It’s the first and most important phase of the therapy. We build up your internal strengths and coping skills so that when we do start to process more difficult memories, you feel prepared and in control. This isn’t about avoiding the tough stuff. It’s about making you strong enough to face it with confidence. The goal is to build your nervous system’s capacity for resilience. As the renowned Mayo Clinic suggests, building resilience is a key component of managing stress and trauma (3). We do this by teaching you grounding skills, installing calming imagery, and giving you practical tools to use in your daily life.

The First Secret: Your “Calm Place” is Real

One of the first things we’ll do is create what’s called a “Calm Place” or “Safe Place.” Now, this is more than just a little daydream. This is an active, powerful exercise where we help you create a detailed imaginary place where you feel completely, one hundred percent safe and at ease. It could be a beach from your favorite vacation, a cozy room from your childhood, or a fantasy forest that only you know about. The magic happens when we pair this imagery with bilateral stimulation, like gentle back-and-forth tapping. This process helps to deepen the sensory experience, making your Calm Place feel incredibly real and vivid in your brain. The National Institute of Health has extensive research showing how psychotherapy can forge new, positive neural pathways (1), and this exercise is a perfect example. You are literally building a mental refuge that you can visit anytime you start to feel anxious or overwhelmed.

The Second Secret: You Have an Inner Team of Helpers

This might sound a little strange at first, but another amazing resource we cultivate is your own personal team of inner helpers. These are what we call “Resource Figures.” These figures can be anyone, real or imagined, who represents a quality you need more of. It could be a grandparent who always made you feel safe, a historical figure you admire for their strength, a spiritual guide, or even a beloved family pet that offered unconditional love. We work together to bring these figures to mind and “install” their protective, nurturing, or wise qualities within you. This isn’t about pretending. It’s about tapping into the feelings of strength and support that you already understand and making them a readily available part of your inner world. It helps you feel profoundly less alone on your healing journey.

The Third Secret: Your Breath is a Superpower

You’ve probably heard people say “just take a deep breath” a million times. But in EMDR resourcing, we take that advice and turn it into a genuine superpower for your nervous system. We teach simple, evidence-based grounding techniques that are paired with bilateral stimulation to rapidly calm your body when it goes into fight-or-flight mode. One of the most common techniques is the “Butterfly Hug,” where you cross your arms over your chest and tap gently on your shoulders, alternating left and right. When you combine this simple action with slow, deliberate breathing, it can be amazingly effective at stopping an anxiety spiral in its tracks. The best part? You can do it anywhere. Whether you’re feeling stressed in a meeting in downtown SLC or sitting in traffic on I-15, you have a tool right at your fingertips. According to Psychology Today, mind-body techniques like these are highly effective for managing emotional distress (2).

Feeling in control of your anxiety isn’t a fantasy. It’s a skill you can learn. Building these resources is the first, most powerful step you can take on your journey to feeling better. If you are in the Murray UT area and you’re tired of anxiety running the show, I invite you to reach out. We can start by simply building your foundation for healing and calm.