EMDR For Depression – Lara Barbir PsyD (1)

Two of these internal resources are foundational, require daily practice to develop, and were previously discussed in chapter 2: mindfulness and self-compassion skills. Specific techniques for developing additional internal resources will be taught in this chapter; you can draw upon these to help with nervous system and emotion regulation, and to promote general emotional, mental, and psychological health. Safe/Calm State Exercise The safe/calm state exercise is a relaxing or pleasant EMDR exercise that can be used with or without bilateral stimulation. This exercise is also available as an audio track at http://www.newharbinger.com/56975.

It is designed to help you create a state of mind that you can use as an internal resource whenever you need to feel calm, whether that be during active reprocessing sessions or in between them. You can use your creativity and imagination throughout this exercise as you wish.

You are also free to draw upon previous memories and experiences that are associated with pleasant feelings to help you. If at any point during this exercise you notice the image or memory you draw upon starts to become associated with people or situations that provoke unpleasant feelings, then you will need to pause, take some slow breaths or a brief relaxing break, then restart the exercise and choose a different image without such an association.

This exercise is one that can be done on your own or, if you prefer, it can be done with a trusted person (follow your body’s cues for this) who guides you through the sequence of steps and questions below—and you can do it on each other for reciprocity if it’s a loved one and not a therapist!

Know that you are encouraged to come back to this exercise to create new safe/calm states throughout your journey. The more the merrier! The first step is to have your preferred bilateral stimulation set-up prepared—you will be doing slow eye movements or another form of bilateral stimulation for any resourcing exercise that you do, including this one. This is meant to enhance the pleasant feelings that you will induce with the imagery exercise.

“Slow” means your eye movements will move at a pace of about one second per side. One “set” of bilateral stimulation is considered looking to one side and then the other (e.g., looking left, then looking right; it does not matter which side you start with). Thus, each set will last about two seconds. In this exercise you will do between four and eight sets each time before you pause to reflect on your experience. As a point of reference, there are no “supposed tos” in the process when you are doing the bilateral stimulation while focusing on your internal experience.

“Lara Barbir shows us, with clarity and depth, the connection between trauma and depression. Thanks to her reassuring style, we find out we are not to blame when we feel bad. We discover that self-acceptance is not an impossible dream but a skill we can learn. We see how eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) takes all that we are and have experienced and makes it unconditionally workable.

Then trauma is not a dead end, but a door.” —David Richo, PhD, author of Triggers “In this compassionate and practical book, Lara Barbir offers a clear path for understanding and healing depression rooted in trauma. With warmth and clinical wisdom, she shows how EMDR therapy can transform pain into resilience. A vital resource for both clients and clinicians.” —Arielle Schwartz, PhD, coauthor of EMDR Therapy and Somatic Psychology “Lara Barbir has created an exceptional, comprehensive guide to EMDR for depression.

She brings such warmth and clarity to this complex topic. The book is a thorough, well-structured, and engaging read. It seamlessly blends research and practical strategies for easy-to-understand application. It’s both an invaluable reference for therapists and an approachable, enlightening read for the public.” —Erin Madden, LCSW, ICADC, CAP, certified EMDR therapist and EMDRIA-Approved Consultant OceanofPDF.com EMDR for Depression OVERCOME THE TRAUMA THAT DRIVES YOUR SYMPTOMS LARA BARBIR, PsyD New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

OceanofPDF.com Publisher’s Note This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

NEW HARBINGER PUBLICATIONS is a registered trademark of New Harbinger Publications, Inc. New Harbinger Publications is an employee-owned company. Copyright © 2026 by Lara Barbir New Harbinger Publications, Inc. 5720 Shattuck Avenue Oakland, CA 94609 www.newharbinger.com All Rights Reserved Cover design by Amy Shoup Acquired by Wendy Millstine Edited by Max Crosby Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file 28 27 26 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 First Printing OceanofPDF.com For all of the yous—past, present, and future…

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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• Title: –
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• Pages: 192
• Language: English (en)

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