The playroom provides a range of materials that can aid in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Blending both cognitive and experiential therapies for children helps to reduce anxiety in children. Introducing a child to EMDR in a room full of toys, art, sand, and other creative avenues for EMDR processing is challenging and requires skill and an age-appropriate explanation. This chapter illustrates ways to both introduce and engage a child in EMDR even for a limited amount of time such as 5 to 10 minutes during play therapy. The interweaving of EMDR and play is also illustrated in a case study. Within the eight phases of EMDR processing, the five stages of experiential play therapy are woven together, led by the child and supported by the therapist.

Play therapy allows children to develop a rich variety of resources for complex trauma. Making a safe therapeutic space for the activation and the adaptive processing of traumatic memories has been a central theme in play therapy literature. Trauma-sensitive yoga (TSY) and embodied play therapy blend well with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy to address the preverbal and somatic challenges often associated with children who have experienced complex trauma. In order to demonstrate how to best integrate embodied play therapy and TSY techniques into the preparation phase of EMDR therapy, this chapter presents an overview of trauma and the brain–body connection, yoga, and play therapy. It also presents specific trauma-sensitive yoga and embodied play therapy exercises that can be used with children during the preparation phase of EMDR. TSY connects with the therapeutic powers of play of self-regulation, positive emotions, stress management, resiliency, and the therapeutic relationship.

This chapter presents a play-based intervention that addresses the challenge of providing eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) to early elementary school–aged boys. Their energy level, restlessness, and need to engage physically can at times get in the way of reprocessing a traumatic memory. Splatting Out the Trauma has built in resourcing, social engagement, and organic trauma response completion that can help facilitate the desensitization and installation phases of EMDR. Children with higher energy levels often need interventions that are shorter in time and are more hands-on to engage them physically. Splatting Out the Trauma is introduced during Phase 3, assessment. The child is asked to draw a picture of the worst part of the identified memory to be processed. There are some considerations and possible adjustments that may need to be made with this intervention depending on the client's needs and abilities.

This intervention was designed to work best with children who may be sensory seeking, seem hesitant or cautious when discussing the trauma, have low tolerance for exposure to the trauma, or find bilateral eye movements challenging. It requires that children engage in bilateral stimulation and eye movements by physically tapping different color hand images for desensitization and installation. The effectiveness of this intervention relies on the level of control and independence that the child has, the bilateral stimulation and sensory experience that they gain from the tapping motions, and the increased feeling of safety for children who tend to be more guarded when exploring their trauma experience. Color Hands is a creative, play-based intervention for Phase 4, desensitization, and Phase 5, installation, of the eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) protocol. This chapter discusses phases of EMDR; materials; rationale; description of intervention; step-by-step instructions; modifications; and considerations.

Despite the potential benefits, children are often very reluctant to participate in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. Prescriptive play therapy for trauma involves a phase-based approach where the activities within the playroom may vary from less directive to more directive with the goal of supporting trauma exposure/trauma narrative work. Trauma-informed prescriptive play therapists guide play in the avenues that will support trauma digestion and emotional regulation. Integrating play therapy within Francine Shapiro's adaptive information processing model with a flexible approach to the EMDR protocol holds promise in using play to enter the memory network and promote healing. This chapter establishes eight essential considerations in fully integrating EMDR in a play therapy setting and examines the idea that play may be the preferred avenue to access and reprocess with EMDR the implicit memories involved so often in complex trauma in children.

The Superhero Shuffle is a playful intervention that is designed to work best with high-energy children and children who have low tolerance for exposure to trauma or engaging in the bilateral eye movements of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. Superhero figurines are utilized to assist with bilateral eye movements for desensitization and installation as well as to serve as inspiration for resource development in the preparation phase and cognitive restructuring in the installation phase. The effectiveness of this intervention relies on the therapist's ability to maintain a playful, fast-paced approach to meet the child's energy levels for maintaining concentration and participation. This play-based intervention was designed specifically for the child who is unable to sit still and concentrate for long periods of time. Symptoms of trauma may include hyperarousal, sensory-seeking behaviors, inattention, and low tolerance for exposure to anything related to processing the trauma.

This chapter provides a brief description about the intervention that was designed to support and assist children and adolescents in developing negative cognition and positive cognition in the assessment, desensitization, and installation phases using a creative intervention of “making lemonade” and turning “sour” thoughts into “sweet” thoughts. This intervention integrates eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and play in the processing of traumatic material. Creativity and modifications to the standard EMDR protocol have been used to great success by the leading child and adolescent therapists in the field. Lemon Squeezies is a modification of the standard EMDR protocol in the assessment, desensitization, and installation phases when working with children and adolescents. Modifications to the EMDR standard protocol should only be made to accommodate the developmental needs of each age group. If the child or adolescent does not like lemonade, the therapist may substitute another metaphor using their best clinical judgment.

This chapter proposes the Pocket Smock as a Phase 2 intervention to facilitate the preparation process. The Pocket Smock is designed to be a visible and even tangible location to consolidate the child's acquired self-regulation resources. While it primarily serves to prepare the child for the trauma-resolution phases of the eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) protocol, the Pocket Smock is suitable for use throughout the entire treatment process and beyond. The chapter introduces writing and coloring utensils; clothing items for smocks; preferred craft items; index cards; pocket smock template; office posters (step-by-step instructions in this chapter); optional: electronic drafting applications, camera, and Velcro dots.

This chapter reviews how clinicians can combine play therapy skills with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy to treat young children who have experienced trauma. It presents a descriptive approach to integrating play therapy skills with the EMDR protocol for therapists already using play to facilitate trauma. Young children's trauma often arises from early neglect and abuse, resulting in emotional dysregulation and inappropriate behaviors. Child-centered play therapy, developmental play therapy, and EMDR are interventions that address these issues and are also effective relational therapies that can be even more powerful when combined. These therapies complement each other to allow successful treatment of complex trauma in our youngest clients. Through examples and a case study, therapists will appreciate how play therapy and EMDR work well together and how clinicians' play therapy skills can be easily incorporated into all phases of the EMDR protocol.

This chapter addresses combining synergetic play therapy (SPT) with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) while maintaining fidelity to both therapies. Both SPT and EMDR are informed by the adaptive information processing (AIP) model as developed by Francine Shapiro in 1987. This combined process of therapy is synergetic and relies heavily on theories and research regarding the storage of memory, the mirror neuron system, neurobiology of the brain, interpersonal neurobiology and coregulation, and the innate states of nervous system activation. The chapter expands on these key concepts: understanding the neurobiology of coregulation as it relates to EMDR therapy and synergetic play through the lens of SPT; the importance of therapist regulation while facilitating EMDR in the playroom using SPT theory and its base in neuroscience; the stages of EMDR therapy with SPT and EMDR combined; and the use of EMDR as a directive and nondirective process in play therapy.