How EMDR Resource Development and Installation (RDI) Can Help You
EMDR works from an Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, uses 8 phases of EMDR therapy, and works with a Three-Pronged Protocol for treating trauma, depression, anxiety, and many other problems. This blog will focus on Resource Development and Installation (RDI), done in phase 2 of EMDR.
Brief Overview of AIP
AIP is a way to understand how memories get stored in the neural networks of the brain, which contain different components of memory:
- Our five senses – seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, smelling
- Our thoughts
- Our emotions
- Our body sensations
- Our beliefs
Our Memory Networks Include:
- Our perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors
- Are the basis of dysfunction and health
- Increased complex presentations lend to more maladaptive memory networks.
When these maladaptive memory networks are triggered, it may feel like you are reliving the memory again and creating those emotions and physical sensations again, which is why, at times, situations in the present can be so distressing.
Resourcing is tapping into strengthening one’s adaptive memory network, which contains positive experiences, positive feelings, affect regulation skills, safety, responsibility, control/choices, and a sense of belonging.
Eight Phases of EMDR Therapy
- Phase 1: History Taking and Treatment Planning
- Phase 2: Preparation & Stabilization
- Phase 3: Target Assessment
- Phase 4: Desensitization
- Phase 5: Installation
- Phase 6: Body Scan
- Phase 7: Closure
- Phase 8: Reevaluation
EMDR Three-Pronged Protocol
- Past Attention to memories contributing to current problems.
- Present Present situations that are disturbing
- Future Rehearsing skills that one will need for the future
Resource Development and Installation (RDI)
RDI is part of Phase 2 of EMDR, preparing you for processing maladaptive memory networks and enhancing and learning coping skills during sessions and in between sessions. Resources also help you experience a calm/safe state of being with your five senses.
In resourcing, we work with positive effects such as confidence, competency, mastery, interest, excitement, enjoyment, pride, and triumph, along with adaptive responses that you already have or admire in others.
Common Resources For Phase 2 Include:
- Butterfly Hugs
- Safe/Calm State
- Container/Containment/Push Away
- Nurturing Figure
- Protective Figure
- Animal
Breathing exercises are also helpful along with Mindfulness, being present in each moment, with awareness and non-judgmentally, not ruminating about the past or worrying about the future.
Phases 1 and 2 of EMDR can take a little time, and some clients want to get started right away, clearing those dysfunctional memory networks that are causing them all the distress they are experiencing now. As much as it is understandable to want to work past one’s trauma, the prep work of enhancing coping skills and affect regulation is just as essential to ensure the successful clearing of those painful memory networks during the desensitization phase of EMDR.
RDI In EMDR in The Early Phases
What is terrific about RDI in EMDR is that while in the early phases, resourcing can be done not just for stabilization in preparing for reprocessing trauma, it can help clients develop and enhance who they are, increase self-worth and mastery in their daily lives, along with developing balance in their lives of wants versus shoulds. RDI is also helpful for clients to build a sense of safety and reduce vulnerabilities. Through resourcing, clients can develop safety and trust in themselves of their emotions, thoughts, disorders, and choices as they arise in their daily lives.
Anxiety is often related to safety and fears, so RDI helps client immediately work on reducing their anxiety, which can be freeing. Resourcing also helps with being able to be in control and have choices over what one does. Emotions, thoughts, and behaviors can feel as if they are in control and in the driver’s seat controlling you. Through RDI, you can be back in the driver’s seat and influence one’s choices rather than acting from the past as if the past were today.
Resourcing also helps us build a sense of connection and belonging. We can develop the capacity to trust, have a sense of belonging with others, make more connections, and enhance our sense of who we are. The sense of connection and belonging is helpful when feeling alone, rejected, or abandoned.
So, Resource Development and Installation in EMDR is not only for stabilization. It also enhances one’s abilities, strengths, empowerment, connections, joy, and happiness.
Ready to Start EMDR Therapy in Las Vegas, CA?
If you’re ready to reclaim your life from the grip of trauma, depression, anxiety, or any other emotional burdens, take the first step toward healing with EMDR therapy. At DBT Center of the South Bay, I’m here to guide you on a transformative journey of self-discovery and recovery. Embrace the power of EMDR, and let’s embark on a path to a brighter, more resilient future together. Follow these three simple steps to get started:
- Reach out for more information about EMDR therapy
- Start meeting with a trained EMDR therapist in Las Vegas, NV
- Begin reclaiming your life in positive ways!
Other Services at DBT Center of the South Bay
DBT Center of the South Bay has helped many people find the motivation to live fuller, more connected lives. I provide treatment options using DBT Therapy for adults to help with managing anger, social isolation, and loneliness. I also specialize in helping those experiencing suicidal thoughts and self-harm behaviors. At DBT Center, I also provide EMDR Therapy to provide quick relief and healing so you can be free to live the life you want to live today. Located in Las Vegas, NV, and Torrance, CA, you can access my services from anywhere in the states of California and Nevada using online therapy.
