What is EMDR-Informed Coaching?

By Lucy Strand, Certified EMDR Coach and Trauma-Informed Master Life Coach, with 10+ years of experience as a licensed therapist (LCSW) helping women.

EMDR, short for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is one of the most researched approaches for helping the brain process memories that still feel charged.

EMDR-informed coaching borrows tools from EMDR therapy, like bilateral stimulation (back-and-forth eye movements or alternating taps), and points them at one thing: the pattern that shows up when you go after what you want. We spend a little time on what’s underneath the pattern but most of our time on where you’re headed, rehearsing real moments like a pitch, a date, or a hard conversation so you can walk in calmer, and more confidently yourself.

How does EMDR coaching work?

  1. 1

    Start with what you want to do now

    We begin with something you want to do, create or step into in your life right now. Maybe it’s starting a new business or going on a podcast, but just thinking about it makes your heart race and your body tense up.

  2. 2

    Find what’s fueling the pattern

    Together, we identify the top three earlier experiences that seem to be fueling your reaction today.

  3. 3

    Reduce the charge

    Using bilateral stimulation, we reprocess those experiences. The aim is to lower their emotional and physical charge and strengthen a more supportive belief about yourself.

  4. 4

    Rehearse your future

    We create future templates: mental rehearsals of you taking action with confidence. You practice handling the moment that used to activate you or make you anxious, trusting yourself with whatever comes up.

  5. 5

    Take a step toward your vision

    We choose one concrete action, you try it, and we reflect on how it went together.

What does EMDR coaching look like in real life?

A client story

I’ll share a bit about a client I’ll rename as Sarah.

She told me she knew she had great ideas. But when leadership walked in, her heart raced, her palms sweat, and her cheeks got hot. She could feel a part of her wanting to speak up, but most of the time, she just stayed quiet.

A lot of us intellectually know we’re capable, yet in that moment, the belief “I’ll sound dumb” or “my perspective isn’t that valuable” takes over.

So we looked at where that came from. We found three moments:

  • Being laughed at in class as a kid
  • Having her opinion brushed off by someone she admired
  • Being sharply criticized at an early work presentation

We worked through each one using bilateral stimulation. Through those sessions, the charge softened and her body stopped bracing.

Then we rehearsed. She pictured her next leadership meeting, with all eyes on her, and saw herself speaking freely and sharing her ideas, feeling in her body that her perspectives were valuable.

Identifying a next step: As part of our coaching sessions, we also identify a concrete step, such as contributing one idea at her next meeting, and to discuss her experience afterward.

Client details have been changed to protect privacy. This page describes coaching, which is not therapy or a substitute for mental health treatment.

Interested in learning more?

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