Welcome to the resource library. If you are preparing for EMDR therapy, or simply looking for effective, body-based ways to manage anxiety, these audio guides are designed to help you build the necessary coping skills.
✨ About Phase 2 Preparation
Before processing traumatic memories, it is essential that your nervous system knows how to regulate itself. Use these exercises to:
- Build emotional regulation before EMDR processing
- Create inner safety and containment resources
- Develop self-soothing techniques for between sessions
- Practice grounding when feeling overwhelmed
🎯 Tip: Practice each exercise when you're feeling relatively calm to build the muscle memory before you actually need it in a state of distress.
📁 Audio Guided Exercises
Click any exercise below to open and download the audio file. I recommend saving these to your phone for easy access.
5-4-3-2-1 Grounding
A sensory awareness exercise designed to immediately anchor your mind in the present moment when you feel yourself dissociating or spiraling.
▶ Listen & DownloadButterfly Tap
A simple bilateral self-tapping technique you can use anywhere to calm the nervous system and re-establish a sense of physical safety.
▶ Listen & DownloadContainer Exercise
A foundational EMDR visualization tool used to temporarily "box up" and store difficult emotions or memories so you can continue functioning in your daily life.
▶ Listen & DownloadLight Stream Technique
A guided visualization of healing light flowing through your body to identify, soothe, and release concentrated physical distress and tension.
▶ Listen & DownloadCalm Safe Place
Guides you in creating a vivid, internal sanctuary of safety and peace that you can return to for emotional regulation.
▶ Listen & DownloadProgressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
Systematic tension and release of major muscle groups to significantly reduce physical anxiety and prepare the body for rest.
▶ Listen & DownloadInner Guardian Figure
An imagery exercise used to develop an internal protective figure, providing a sense of safety, strength, and boundaries.
▶ Listen & Download🧠 Somatic Adaptations for ADHD & Neurodivergent Clients
These adapted variations are specifically designed for individuals who process sensory information differently (such as those with ADHD, Autism, or Aphantasia) and may find traditional visualization-based exercises inaccessible or energetically draining. They rely on somatic anchoring, physical posture, and real-world objects rather than inner imagery.
Safe Container (Adapted)
A somatically-based containment exercise that uses a real physical object and gesture to temporarily store overwhelming material. Designed for individuals who find traditional visualization-based containers inaccessible or energetically draining.
▶ Listen & DownloadSafety & Acceptance (Calm/Okay Place Adapted)
A drift-based resource installation that locates the felt quality of "nothing is wrong right now" through sensory fragments and neutral awareness rather than vivid imagery. Anchored in physical posture for accessibility across all sensory processing styles.
▶ Listen & DownloadNurturing & Protection (Inner Guardian Adapted)
An embodied resource exercise that accesses the felt sense of having backup through action-memory and posture anchoring. Replaces traditional imagery-based guardian figures with evidence-based physical configurations the nervous system already recognizes.
▶ Listen & DownloadLight Stream (Adapted)
A multi-sensory adaptation of the classic light stream technique that offers alternative vehicles — temperature, vibration, weight, or bare attention — for individuals who cannot generate internal visual imagery. Provides the same regulating function through systematic body acknowledgment paired with bilateral stimulation.
▶ Listen & Download📺 Complementary Video Resources
In addition to the audio exercises above, I highly recommend exploring these video resources by Dr. Jamie Marich, a renowned trauma therapist and EMDR educator.
Mindful Living Coping Skills Collection
A comprehensive collection of mindfulness, gentle yoga, and somatic grounding videos perfectly suited for integrating with EMDR Phase 2 preparation. Categories include Breath Strategies, Muscle/Tactile Strategies, and Body Awareness.
▶ Open Video CollectionThe audio and video exercises provided on this page are for educational and self-help purposes only. They are not a substitute for professional mental health care or specialized trauma therapy. If you are experiencing severe distress, flashbacks, or are in crisis, please contact a local mental health professional or emergency service immediately. Dr. Antonio D'Costa is an MD Pediatrician and EMDR Consultant.