A Living Toolkit for Trauma Survivors & EMDR Seekers

This Page Will Keep Growing

New practices, links, and EMDR-safe resources will be added over time.

You can simply check back when you need a moment of grounding.

This isn’t a list.

It’s a lifeline.

Healing isn’t linear — and it’s never just cognitive.

The body remembers what the mind can’t always say.

Whether you’re actively in EMDR therapy, just beginning to explore trauma healing, or feeling overwhelmed by resurfacing memories… this space is here to support you, center you, and walk beside you at your pace.

These are tools that helped me — and tools I wish I had when the pain first began to surface.

They’re free to use, revisit, and share. They’re not about “fixing” you.

They’re about offering you safety, softness, and something solid to hold onto.

Somatic Grounding Tools

Gentle, body-first practices you can return to again and again:

• 🌀 5-4-3-2-1 Sensory Scan

Name 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, 1 you can taste.

A powerful anchor when spiraling or feeling detached.

• 🌀 Butterfly Hug (used in EMDR)

Cross your arms over your chest and tap slowly, left-right-left, while breathing deeply.

Mimics bilateral stimulation and increases felt safety.

• 🌀 Safe Place Visualization

Imagine a location (real or imagined) where you feel safe and protected.

What do you see, hear, and feel there? Return to it often.

• 🌀 Tension Release: Push Against a Wall

Press your palms into the wall with force for 10 seconds, then release.

Helps discharge stored survival energy in the body.

Reflection & Journal Prompts

These prompts are invitations — not assignments. Use them gently and in your own time.

• 🌀 “What does safety feel like — in my body, not just my mind?”

• 🌀 “What am I still carrying that was never mine?”

• 🌀 “What part of me needed to survive — and how did it protect me?”

• 🌀 “When I feel triggered, what part of me might be showing up?”

• 🌀 “What do I need in this moment? Can I offer even 10% of that to myself?”

Tip: If you freeze or dissociate while journaling, pause. Breathe. Come back to your senses.

It’s okay to stop. You’re allowed to go slow.

Suggested Reading & Listening

Trauma-informed books, podcasts, and websites that center healing through EMDR, somatics, and self-compassion.

Books:

• The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk

• Getting Past Your Past – Francine Shapiro (creator of EMDR)

• What My Bones Know – Stephanie Foo

• The Complex PTSD Workbook – Arielle Schwartz

• No Bad Parts – Richard Schwartz

Podcasts:

• Therapist Uncensored — neuroscience + attachment

• The Healing Trauma Podcast — survivor voices

• Notice That — EMDR-focused, client & therapist friendly

Websites:

EMDRIA.org – Find certified EMDR therapists

NICABM.com – Trauma education hub

Dr. Arielle Schwartz – Somatic + EMDR healing

Nervous System Support (Audio/Video)

• 10-Minute Grounding Meditation – Sarah Blondin (Insight Timer) Full Link

• Vagus Nerve Reset – Irene Lyon on YouTube

• Bilateral Music for Self-Regulation – YouTube

Use headphones for left-right audio support after sessions or during stress.

Where to Start (If You’re Feeling Overwhelmed)

Healing can feel like too much.

If you’re in the middle of something hard, try this:

• Breathe – In through your nose, out through your mouth. Slowly.

• Ground – Try the 5-4-3-2-1 scan. Hold something real.

• Pause – Say aloud: “I am in the present. I am safe enough right now.”

• Choose one thing – A soft blanket, a butterfly hug, a sip of water.

You don’t have to fix everything today.

You just need to meet this moment with care.

Emergency & Crisis Support 

⚠️ This site is not a replacement for therapy or emergency services.

If you’re in crisis or feeling unsafe:

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (U.S.) – Dial 988 or visit 988lifeline.org

• Crisis Text Line – Text HOME to 741741

• SAMHSA Helpline – 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

• International Mental Health Resources