Pre-Session Prep EMDR

Finding Stability Before EMDR

A Trauma-Informed Pre-Session Guide

By Dr. Monique Thompson

EMDR-Trained Therapist + Trauma-Informed Life Coach

Preparing for EMDR isn’t about forcing yourself to feel calm, emotional, or “ready.”

It’s about helping your nervous system settle enough for healing to begin.

Finding Stability Before EMDR is a trauma-informed workbook designed for adults preparing for EMDR therapy for general trauma—including acute events, chronic stress, workplace trauma, medical trauma, relational trauma, and long-term survival patterns such as emotional numbing or hyper-functioning.

This guide is especially helpful for high-achieving adults who:

• feel emotionally numb or disconnected
• stay busy or hyper-focused to cope
• experience anxiety, shutdown, or swings between the two
• want to understand EMDR without being overwhelmed
• want to make progress without forcing insight or emotion

What This Guide Covers

• How trauma affects the nervous system using polyvagal theory
• Why feeling “nothing” or being highly controlled is also a trauma response
• How EMDR works in a gentle, nervous-system-based way
• Why EMDR often involves multiple targets, not just one memory
• What it really means for a target to be “clear”
• A simple pre-session checklist to reduce activation before EMDR
• Guidance for after-session regulation and integration
• A clear explanation of pacing, including 45-minute sessions and EMDR intensives

What This Guide Is Not

• It is not a workbook about reliving trauma
• It is not about forcing emotional breakthroughs
• It is not about rushing clarity or decisions
• It is not specific to infidelity or couples work

Why This Guide Helps

When the nervous system is in fight-or-flight or shutdown, EMDR is harder to access. This guide helps interrupt survival patterns before session so your time in therapy can be more effective—especially in shorter sessions.

You do not need to feel anything special for EMDR to work.

You do not need to “do it right.”

You just need a nervous system that feels safe enough to engage.

Who This Is For

• Adults preparing for EMDR therapy
• Clients doing virtual or in-person EMDR
• High-functioning professionals and caregivers
• Anyone experiencing trauma through anxiety, numbing, or over-functioning