When the Body Speaks in EMDR: A Somatic Approach to Adaptive Healing

When the Body Speaks in EMDR: A Somatic Approach to Adaptive Healing Guest Blog Post by Alison Leslie, LCSW, SEP Somatic therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy have often been explored as separate modalities and psychotherapeutic approaches to healing trauma. From the beginning, though , Dr. Francine Shapiro , the founder of EMDR, noted that the body was not separate from the mind and explored bodily sensations throughout the phases of EMDR (2018) . Although Dr. Shapiro did not frame EMDR as a purely somatic therapy, her Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model clearly recognizes that traumatic memories are not stored only as thoughts or images, but also linked with emotions, beliefs, and body sensations ( Shap ir o , 2018). This assertion helps us realize that the body has always been part of the EMDR process, but the story it has been re-enacting and telling in d ifferent ways has often been overlooked or unheard throughout the 8-phase process. When we learn to pay close attention to the body, as taught in somatic therapy approaches, including movements, shapes of the body, the way the breath holds, along with countless other involuntary experiences, we can more closely monitor nervous system patterns and help clients move the memory toward adaptive information and complete the internal pattern for good. EMDR therapy posits that old maladaptive memories, which can be viewed as inadequately processed, distressing experiences linked in state-specific ways, are the underlying causes of distress in current-day experiences (Shapiro, 2018) . These memories hold old beliefs about the self, the world, and others, as well as emotions, sensations, and response systems that were unconsciously activated in the moments those memories were formed. The defense cascade system of the body These response systems can also be viewed through the somatic lens of the threat response cycle, which Dr. Peter Levine, an expert in somatic and body-based psychotherapy, uses to explain how our bodies can become stuck in incomplete responses. Ruth Lanius’ language describes this same experience as the defense cascade system (Lanius, et. al., 2025), beginning with a novel stimulus entering the environment. The brain and body simultaneously orient to the stimulus and detect, through activation of the sympathetic system, whether it is a true danger in whatever way that means to each individual. From there, the response system begins organizing in a way that adaptively allows the human organism to stay safe and survive. During this cascade, internal physiology shifts, leading the body to respond in unconscious patterns. The tunneling of vision to pinpoint danger, the bracing and tightening of muscles for fight-or-flight, a moment of freeze and stillness that can feel like being trapped, or a separation from one’s self or body can all be enacted. These responses are survival instincts that all mammals are supposed to be able to navigate and complete, so the body can reorient to safety while physiology returns to homeostasis. What many clinicians know is that this response system is often incomplete, or that the individual was unable to find true safety after the event, which keeps the moment stuck in the neural pathway. This is where somatic interventions and experiences become important. Integrating somatic therapy into the 8-phase model is not about ditching the standard protocol, but about adding essential skills to each phase to support greater ease, greater capacity, and a clearer understanding of what is happening moment to moment. The nest as a somatic metaphor in EMDR therapy What we witness in EMDR as the present prong can be viewed as the predictive patterns the entire brain and body use to remain within a range of “safety” that allows life to be lived ( Kotler, et al., 2026 ), whether that means merely surviving until the next moment or fully flourishing. These patterns can be explored through the different “nests” of a client’s life; a nature-based imagery and somatic metaphor I created that allows a client to witness how their body landed in the different spaces of their life. This metaphor begins with the womb nest and early home nest(s), exploring whether these spaces offered safety, attachment, co-regulation, and the privilege of acceptance within the culture and community. These conditions allow the body to relax, explore with curiosity, and recover from periods of stress and hardship, allowing adaptive information to build the modern nest of life today. Conversely, the nests of our lives may have created challenges that the body learned to brace against and disconnect from as strategies for staying safe and alive, such as those growing up with complex abuse, neglect, and systemic oppression. Bodies carrying these more challenging early nests may experience more maladaptive memory networks that impact ego strength, body structure, and the ability to land with ease and support in the world today. The term character armor , coined by Reich in the 1920s, refers to the idea that the body shapes itself and its patterns to protect against emotional wounds (Reich, 1945). This is something we witness again and again in our offices: bodies folded in, arms crossed for protection, eyes darting around the room searching for the danger that is sure to come, holding of the breath in order to be as still as possible… these are all part of the clinical story. Yet this type of armor is often overlooked without the client or possibly even the clinician noticing how strong it has become due to the nests we grew up in. When we help our EMDR clients slow down and become consciously aware of the unconscious experiences that arise day to day, we can support curiosity about whether that old response pattern and armor is still useful in their nest of life today, or whether something new might be explored. When we offer new opportunities in the moment to bring awareness to the attuned, co-regulated spaces we inhabit , such as a trusting relationship with a friend or therapist, the body can begin to recognize that old armor does not need to be worn everywhere and a new shape and settling can emerge. Finding and practicing new grounding somatic responses We can practice sensing and exploring this in session so that new predictions can be made about what it means to be safe today. For example, I like to use the imagery of a well-worn trail the body knows how to follow, and what it might be like to find a deer trail branching off our normal path. When we think of nature, we might consider that, when hiking, the deer path can be harder to find and follow, yet it often leads us to an unexplored place full of beauty. Maybe it is a meadow of flowers or a hidden creek that allows the body to expand, relax, and breathe. This opportunity is often available within ourselves, and somatic therapy helps guide the client’s system to orient to this overlooked internal trail in new and curious ways. Discovering that the body can shape in new ways, be safe in the here and now, and find interoceptive comfort, calm, and curiosity are helpful beginning somatic tools to support each phase of EMDR therapy. Bringing in the idea that the body can hold comfort or neutrality and stretching the edges of being with these internal interoceptive experiences is especially helpful for our complex clients who learned early on that what is safe is dangerous. It is not always about helping clients learn to ride the wave of discomfort or stay with the “yelling,” (witnessed as the sharp, tight, loud sensations that demand attention) happening inside the body, although this is often needed for phase 2 preparation. Sometimes it is about helping the client tune in to the gentle “whispers” of comfort, support, or even neutrality that have been hoping to be heard, which can offer a new organizational pattern within. The whisper of something gentle, also present, can remind the client that there is something else to orient to today and can bring new meaning to themselves and the moments they are in day to day. This gives us an anchor to return to the yelling, with an exit strategy, and helps build greater capacity to stay within the edges of the body and be present for longer periods of time. The role of curiosity and a non-judgmental stance This also supports the invitation to curiosity, a tenet of all therapy ( Brewer & Giommi, 2025 ), that allows the unknown to be present and observed rather than judged. When we invite gentle experiences of wonder about what is happening inside at any given moment, we allow the client to spend time within themselves without trying to change anything, welcoming the body as it is, possibly for the first time. This is a challenge for many people, especially those with high levels of anxiety. As somatic experiences are witnessed with curiosity rather than judgment in phase 2, we are also preparing our clients to understand how the defense cascade continues to show up in day-to-day experiences and how we can work with this rather than against it. This creates new opportunities to witness and explore spontaneous movement, and to ready our clients to notice these experiences in phase 4: reprocessing and desensitization. Understanding that the body is telling a story that needs to be witnessed as part of the healing journey allows us to reprocess the entire experience, not just the cognitive aspects. Tracking the experience, including the tilt of the head, the breath, the tension patterns, the flushing of the skin, and the micro-movements that arise, invites a new perspective. Allowing these moments to be interwoven into the bilateral stimulation (BLS) during EMDR reprocessing, especially during times of looping or stuckness, can “move the train,” as Shapiro (2018) states, toward adaptive healing and the completion of the defense cascade. Sometimes this move toward adaptive understanding also includes bringing tenderness, care, and compassion to the places inside that feel disconnected, angry, or alone. Witnessing leads to healing We are not automatically asking for change when we bring attention to the body. We are saying, “I see you. You deserve to be honored. Let me watch with intention what you need or want to do today, now that you can.” This witnessing, with co-regulation and attunement, allows the defense cascade to complete, and true safety can finally be sensed and nestled into. As this arises, adaptive resolution is felt, spontaneous positive beliefs occur, and the body is finally rid of the old echoes of the past. Somatic therapy and EMDR therapy are beautifully connected approaches that, when brought together with intention and attention, allow for transformative healing. Alison Leslie, LCSW, SEP, is a trauma therapist, EMDRIA Approved Consultant ™ , Credit Provider, and educator based in Bloomington, I ndiana . She specializes in integrating EMDR therapy, s omatic e xperiencing, p olyvagal t heory, and the human-animal bond, and is the creator of the Nest Metaphor, a nature-based, somatic framework for supporting EMDR case conceptualization, preparation, and trauma healing. Through her clinical work, consultation, and trainings , Leslie helps therapists bring greater curiosity, embodiment, and nervous system awareness into the 8-phase model of EMDR therapy. References Brewer, J. A., & Giommi, F. (2025). Psychotherapy as investigation: cultivating curiosity and insight in the therapeutic process. Frontiers in Psychology, 16 :1603719. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1603719 Kotler, S., Mannino, M., Fox, G., & Friston, K. (2026). The body does not keep the score: Trauma, predictive coding, and the restoration of metastability. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience , 20 , 1812957. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnsys.2026.1812957 Lanius, R. A., Harricharan, S., Kearney, B. E., & Pandev-Girard, B. (2025). Sensory pathways to healing from trauma: Harnessing the brain’s capacity for change . Guilford Press. Reich, W. (1945). Character Analysis; Principles and technique for psychoanalysts in practice and in training (Trans. By T. P. Wolfe.) (2 nd ed.) . Orgone Institute Press. Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures (3 rd ed.). The Guilford Press. Wong, A. (2023, Feb 27). The art of letting go: Why Reichian character armor is worth dismantling. Somatopia. https://www.somatopia.com/blog/the-art-of-letting-go-why-reichian-character-armor-is-worth-dismantling Back to Focal Point Blog Homepage Additional Resources If you are a therapist interested in the EMDR training: Learn more about EMDR therapy at the EMDRIA Library Learn more about EMDR Training Search for an EMDR Training Provider Check out our EMDR Training FAQ If you are EMDR trained: Check out the EMDRIA Let’s Talk EMDR Podcast Check out the EMDRIA Focal Point Blog Learn more about EMDRIA membership Search for EMDR Continuing Education opportunities If you are an EMDRIA™ Member: Learn more about EMDR Consultation Find clinical practice articles in the EMDRIA Go With That Magazine® Search for articles in Journal of EMDR Practice and Research in the EMDRIA Library