Hi,
Welcome.
If you're just coming out of a therapy session or finished a deep piece of internal reflection,
I am so glad you carved out this extra time for yourself.
My name is Susan Guttridge,
And in this video,
We'll focus on creating a supportive space to help you transition back into your daily life with a foundational EMDR tool called Adaptive Containment.
This work is consistently utilized in EMDR therapy,
And this particular practice comes from my training in attachment-focused EMDR with Dr.
Laurel Parnell.
When an EMDR session or deep healing process ends,
The adaptive reprocessing in your brain doesn't instantly stop.
Your nervous system continues to shift and settle and integrate those insights long after the session is over.
Because of this,
What you do in the hours immediately following this kind of work matters.
If you jump straight back into the noise of everyday life,
Rushing back to work or school or managing family obligations.
Those fragile emerging insights can be easily lost.
Before we begin this practice,
Consider how you might give yourself a little buffer today between the therapy and this practice and the rest of your day.
I know that you may feel some pressure to get back to it,
But if you can just take a few minutes first,
Perhaps for a short walk or reflective journaling,
Or simply to sit with presence with what you experienced to allow the waves of that experience to settle naturally.
As you prepare to step back into the rest of your day.
You might find that you're still carrying raw fragments of the work.
Vivid images,
Physical sensations,
Or some heavy thoughts.
And because of that,
There's a common worry that you might feel emotionally flooded as you try to get back to navigating your daily routine.
To help with this.
I'm going to lead you through creating a visual container.
There's a common misconception that containment is just a form of avoidance or pushing things away.
But in EMDR,
We view adaptive containment very differently.
Containment is an act of internal leadership and respect for the wound,
Not a way to bury it.
Avoidance is rooted in fear and shame.
It tries to pretend that the pain doesn't exist.
True containment,
However,
Is a boundary built out of self-care.
It's like your wise internal leader saying,
I honor how heavy this memory is and I intend to give it my full healing attention,
But right now I need to drive home or cook dinner or sleep,
So I'm going to place this work in a secure place.
To protect both the healing I did today and my day.
From a neurobiological standpoint.
When you create a vivid,
Structured image of a container,
Your brain registers that visual closure as a physical cue.
It signals to your nervous system that the Active work interval is temporarily over,
Allowing your body to step back down into your window of tolerance.
Today's practice includes bilateral stimulation,
Which is intended to support a deep sense of balance and calm.
So at certain points,
You'll hear an audio tone that alternates from one side to the other.
This experience is much more immersive if you listen with headphones or with earbuds.
If you don't have headphones handy,
That is completely fine because I'll also be guiding you with bilateral.
And if the alternating sound ever feels uncomfortable or too intense for you,
Simply remove your headphones or earbuds and listen through your device's speaker because that will ease out the impact of the alternating sound.
Okay.
Let's create a container together.
Get comfortable in the space that you're in.
Notice the connection of your feet on the floor.
Or where your body feels most connected.
Supported by your chair.
If possible,
Allow your eyes to close or let your gaze soften toward the floor.
Full deep breath in.
And when you're ready,
Slightly longer,
Exhale out.
In your mind's eye.
I invite you to create a container.
One that is unique to you and that possesses two qualities.
It must be incredibly strong and it must be completely secure.
So you might imagine it being a heavy wooden treasure chest.
A steel modern vault,
A shipping container.
Or perhaps something from nature like a deep cave or a hollowed out tree.
Without overthinking it,
What container comes to your mind?
As you look at it.
Notice the sensory details.
What color is it?
What material is it made of?
Can you imagine reaching out and touching it?
How does it feel to your touch?
Perhaps warm or cool.
Does the surface feel smooth or rough when you touch it?
Now,
Looking at the opening mechanism,
Does it have a heavy lid,
A thick door,
A digital keypad?
Just ensure that it has a way to close so completely that nothing can leak out or spill out.
And most importantly.
.
.
Notice that you are the only one that holds the key or the combination or the remote control.
You are in complete control of this space.
With that container clear in your mind's eye.
Take a moment to scan your mind and your body.
Notice any leftover emotions or thoughts or images from your session today.
Maybe some words that are looping or heaviness in your chest.
A memory perhaps or a sense of.
Vulnerability or even exhaustion.
And then one by one,
Or all at once,
Imagine gathering those raw fragments.
With gentleness,
With respect.
And place them inside your strong container.
Making sure no part of you goes inside with them.
Chaz.
The memory and the bits it stirred up today.
And you are not throwing them away.
You're just tucking them into a safe keeping place.
You're saying to those feelings,
I see you.
You are safe here.
I will come back for you when I have the time and the support to look at you fully.
Okay.
Once everything is inside,
Imagine closing the lid.
Sliding shut the door,
Turn the key,
Or snap the padlock shut,
Or enter the code.
Step back and watch it seal completely.
With your container safely locked.
I invite you to bring your awareness back to this present moment.
You sitting here with me,
Your feet flat on the floor.
Notice the support of the chair beneath you.
Air moving in and out of your lungs.
And as you listen now,
You may notice the sound in your headphones shifting from side to side.
Rhythmically anchoring you to this present moment.
And to anchor this feeling of.
Presence of safety and space,
We can add some slow bilateral tapping.
So crossing your arms over your chest so that each hand rests on the opposite shoulder.
As you begin tapping.
Allow your touch to match the audio sound shifting in your headphones.
And stopping tapping.
Take a deep breath.
Letting it all go.
Notice the felt sense in your body.
Can you notice anywhere that lightness now sits or a sense of relief?
Even just by 5% more than what was there before.
Let's do one more short set of slow taps.
Just focusing on that feeling of present moment safety.
Right here.
Together with me.
And stopping tapping.
Take a deep breath.
And letting it all go.
Your container is secure.
Any bits that your session may have stirred up are safely sealed.
Awaiting your care and attention when you're ready.
You are now entirely anchored on the safe shore of today.
When it feels right,
Gently wiggle your fingers and toes.
Open your eyes if they've been closed.
You are ready to step back into your day.
Thank you for your courage today.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you for doing this work.
