The EMDR Coach

11/10/2025

When your client picks the “high heel” instead of the hard truth 😂
We’ve all had that moment.
You’re sitting there holding space for breakthrough energy — and they’re like,

“Yeah… no thanks.”

It’s funny and so human.
Because trauma therapy isn’t just about insight — it’s about safety.
And sometimes, the nervous system isn’t ready to “know the truth of the universe” yet.

🧠 That’s not resistance. It’s protection.
Our job as EMDR therapists isn’t to push; it’s to pace.

So if your client chooses the high heel this week — smile, ground, and remind yourself:
Regulation > Revelation.

✨ Want help conceptualizing cases and pacing your EMDR treatment plans?
Explore my EMDR Coach Treatment Planning Workbook, comment “Resources” and I’ll send you the link.

Credit where known:

11/07/2025

🚨Here’s a tip: ⤵️

Don’t stress it so much!!

I know EMDR can feel so overwhelming when you first get trained - but the truth is - it doesn’t have to be so structured and “perfect”

It’s way more important to make sure you understand the concepts and theory behind WHY EMDR works.

Once you do, then you’re able to weave using EMDR seamlessly into your sessions without even really thinking about it.

Does it take time? Yes. Does it take practice? Yes.

This is why consultation and professional development is such an important part of learning the EMDR learning process.

Consultation is what takes you from a newbie to a confident, fully certified EMDR badass!

Save this post every time you need a reminder!

11/07/2025

Your body keeps the score… especially when your mind tries to ignore it.

You can rationalize.
You can stay busy.
You can even “logic” your way through pain.
But your body still remembers what your mind tries to avoid.

That tension in your shoulders?
The racing heart during conflict?
The exhaustion that feels like it comes from nowhere?
Those aren’t random. They’re messages.

When we suppress emotions long enough, the nervous system takes over the job of expression.
Because the body doesn’t speak in words — it speaks in symptoms.

🧠 Trauma isn’t stored as a story.
It’s stored as sensations, impulses, and survival patterns that replay until they feel safe enough to release.

You can’t outthink a body that’s asking to feel.
You have to listen to it — gently, curiously, and without shame.

💛 Start tracking your body’s cues, triggers, and shifts with the EMDR Therapy Progress Journal — a guided tool to help you notice what your mind misses.

✨ Comment “Journal” to get the link

11/06/2025

Therapists — this one gets missed all the time 👇

Before you start reprocessing, resourcing, or even mapping targets…
you have to ask your client:

“What are your goals for EMDR therapy?”
“How will we know our work together is successful?”

🧠 Without a clear goal, EMDR can lose direction — and both therapist and client end up feeling uncertain about progress.

When you co-create goals from the start, your treatment plan becomes more focused, realistic, and client-centered.
✨ Don’t skip it.
Set the target before you start aiming.

🎯 Save this for your next intake or case conceptualization.

🔗 Want tools to help you plan EMDR cases and track client progress?

Explore my EMDR Coach Treatment Planning Workbook and Progress Journal — send us a DM to get the link. or visit www.danacarretta.com/shop

11/05/2025

Anxiety isn’t the problem.
It’s the message.

When your body feels unsafe — even if your mind says, “I’m fine” — your nervous system sounds the alarm.
That alarm is what we call anxiety.

Your body is trying to protect you, not sabotage you.
It’s scanning for danger, remembering old experiences, and preparing you to survive — even when you’re not in danger anymore.

That’s why anxiety feels so physical:
💓 racing heart
💨 short breath
⚡ spiraling thoughts

These aren’t random — they’re signs of a body doing its best to keep you safe.

🧠 The goal isn’t to silence anxiety, but to understand what it’s pointing to.
Sometimes it’s fear.
Sometimes it’s grief.
Sometimes it’s a memory that never got a chance to heal.

You don’t have to fight your body to feel better.
You have to listen to it.

💛 Remember: anxiety is not who you are — it’s how your body communicates when it needs safety.
🔗 Get free EMDR resources, explore recommended tools, workbooks, and templates — Send us a DM to get the link or explore our website at www.danacarretta.com

11/04/2025

Your inner child doesn’t just need a hug. They need you to be the adult they wish they had growing up. 💛

For some individuals, that means being protective - setting boundaries, saying no, or finally standing up for yourself in ways you never could before.

In EMDR, this often shows up when we install protective figures: internal representations of safety, strength, or care that the nervous system never had access to.

We’re creating a frame of reference to connect to once we start reprocessing - and creating access to a resource that can help outside of the session, too.

EMDR isn’t just about reprocessing the past… it’s about teaching the brain what safety feels like now in the present. That helps us face the past - and the future - with safety, confidence and resilience 🧠✨

Save this if you need a reminder to be the adult you wish you had growing up 💛

11/02/2025

Ever notice how anxiety makes you forget to breathe — or makes every inhale feel shallow and tight?
That’s your sympathetic nervous system (your fight-or-flight response) working overtime.

Here’s a simple nervous system reset:
🫁 Make your exhale longer than your inhale.

Your inhale activates the stress response (sympathetic).
Your exhale activates calm (parasympathetic).
A longer exhale tells your body: “You’re safe.”

✨ Tools like CalmiGo take that concept even further — combining guided breathing, scent, and gentle vibration to help your body return to baseline faster. It’s like having a pocket-sized grounding tool that works with your biology, not against it.

💡 Therapist takeaway:
When your clients struggle to use breathwork in moments of panic, CalmiGo can bridge that gap between knowing what helps and actually feeling safe enough to use it.

💬 Visit: https://www.danacarretta.com/therapytools to get the link for CalmiGo and all of Dana’s favorite EMDR and nervous system tools.

Use code THE_EMDR_COACH at checkout to get $30 off your order.

11/02/2025

EMDR isn’t magic — it’s neuroscience in motion.

When we experience something overwhelming, the brain doesn’t always store that memory in the “past.”
It gets stuck — unprocessed, charged with emotion, and easily triggered by reminders in the present.

EMDR helps your brain go back and finish the job it never got to complete.
Through bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, or tones), both sides of the brain communicate — allowing the memory to integrate safely.

In short:
✨ You still remember what happened… but it no longer controls your body’s reaction.
That’s healing. That’s integration. That’s your nervous system finally exhaling.

🌿 For Therapists:
Understanding the why behind EMDR helps you strengthen the how.
My EMDR Therapy Treatment Planning Templates Complete Set was designed to help you organize, conceptualize, and track client progress — all in one trauma-informed system.
It’s not about more paperwork — it’s about more clarity, so you can focus on your clients instead of your forms.

💛 For Clients (and anyone healing):
If you’re in EMDR therapy, The EMDR Therapy Progress Journal helps you track your journey — from triggers and targets to small shifts in your nervous system that show healing is happening.
It’s your space to reflect, ground, and notice your growth — one session at a time.

Healing isn’t about erasing the past.
It’s about teaching your brain and body that it’s safe to live in the present.

💬Visit: https://www.danacarretta.com/shop to explore The EMDR Coach Tools & Resources.

11/01/2025

We built a practice that specializes in EMDR for one simple reason:
Because “just talking about it” isn’t enough when your trauma lives in your body.

For years, we watched clients work so hard to heal — journaling, insight-building, self-awareness — and still feel stuck.
Not because they weren’t trying.
But because their nervous system was still in survival mode.

🧠 EMDR changed that.
It helps the brain reprocess painful memories so your body can finally stop sounding the alarm.
You don’t have to relive the trauma — you help your system resolve it.

At Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling, every therapist is EMDR-trained and trauma-informed.
We specialize in helping kids, teens, and adults move from survival to peace — at a pace that feels safe.

💛 Because healing isn’t about “getting over it.”
It’s about helping your brain and body feel safe again.

If you’re curious about EMDR or wondering if it’s right for you,

visit https://cstu.io/ae6507 to learn more and book a free 15-minute consultation.

10/31/2025

Ever notice how your thoughts can spiral you into feeling worse?
🧠 Dr. Daniel Amen explains it perfectly: write the thought down and ask, “Is this true?”

As therapists (and humans), we see how powerful it is to challenge distorted thinking.
When you pause to notice → question → and reframe, you’re literally rewiring your brain.

This is what we do in EMDR therapy and trauma work all the time — taking those automatic, shame-filled, fear-based thoughts and bringing them into awareness so they lose their power.

You don’t have to believe every thought your brain serves up.

Try this:
✍️ Write down the thought
💭 Ask: Is it true? What happens when I believe this?
✨ Flip it: What would change if I didn’t?

That’s how healing starts — one thought at a time.

🗣️ Credit: Dr. Daniel Amen –
🎥: The Diary Of A CEO –

📘 Want to track and reframe your thoughts with structure and intention?

Comment “Journal” to get The EMDR Therapy Progress Journal — your daily space for insight, grounding, and growth.

10/30/2025

💭 “Trauma-informed” isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a mindset.

A trauma-informed therapist understands that your symptoms aren’t “what’s wrong with you,” but rather, what happened to you.

In our latest blog, Dana breaks down:
✅ What “trauma-informed” really means (beyond the trend)
✅ How to know if a therapist truly practices it
✅ What to ask during a consultation to find the right fit for you

If you’ve ever wondered whether your therapist gets it — this one’s for you.

✨ Read the full post here: https://wix.to/mnwZJDj

Loss never disappears, but EMDR helps you carry it with more peace.

10/30/2025

Dear Therapists, burnout is real — and it doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong.

You can be passionate about this work and feel completely drained by it.
You can love helping others and feel disconnected from yourself.
You can show up for your clients and still need to pause, breathe, and reset.

That doesn’t make you weak — it makes you human.

Therapist burnout happens when your nervous system has been holding too much for too long.
And while you can’t always change your caseload, you can change how you support your system between sessions.

🌿 Start small:
✔️ Take a grounding break between clients
✔️ Step away from your computer to reset your eyes + body
✔️ Simplify your systems so your brain can rest, too

That’s why I created the tools in The EMDR Coach Shop — to help therapists feel more organized, grounded, and supported in their clinical work.

🛒 You’ll find EMDR treatment planners, session forms, and therapist resources to help you focus on what actually matters — your clients and your well-being.

💬 Send us a DM to get the link to the shop, or visit https://cstu.io/0202bb to explore all my therapist tools.

You deserve systems that support your nervous system. 💛