120: "Before Trauma Processing" Safety, Stabilization, and Protective Parts in EMDR

Welcome to EMDR Playground, the podcast for therapists who want to integrate EMDR and play with confidence, clarity, and creativity. Hosted by Jackie Flynn, Registered Play Therapist, EMDRIA Trainer, and author of the EMDR with Kids Flipchart, this show explores how fidelity to the EMDR model, a deep understanding of the nervous system, and the language of play can transform therapy for children, teens, and adults. Each episode offers practical strategies, expert conversations, and insights you can use right away to help your clients heal more deeply. Whether you're EMDR-trained or just beginning to explore this powerful approach, EMDR Playground is your space to grow, connect, and bring more depth and effectiveness to your work. In this episode, Jackie talks with Claudia Ocampo about how she brings Internal Family Systems thinking into her EMDR practice. Claudia shares how a parts lens can help therapists respond with more compassion and clarity when suicidal ideation is present. Rather than seeing suicidality as the whole person, she invites us to consider the part of the client carrying overwhelming pain and desperation. Through a clinical story, Claudia offers a practical example of how this way of thinking can shape the work in session. The conversation points back to an essential EMDR principle. Safety and stabilization come before trauma processing. This episode offers a thoughtful look at how protective parts, careful pacing, and attuned presence can help lay the foundation for deeper healing work. In this episode, we discuss • how Claudia integrates IFS ideas into her EMDR practice • understanding suicidal ideation through a parts lens • a clinical story that shows practical application • the importance of safety and stabilization in EMDR • how protective parts can support the work before trauma processing To Learn More, Visit: Remember, Safety and stabilization come before trauma processing. Protective parts and resources help create that foundation.

You can listen to 120: "Before Trauma Processing" Safety, Stabilization, and Protective Parts in EMDR online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

120: "Before Trauma Processing" Safety, Stabilization, and Protective Parts in EMDR is an episode from Play Therapy Community by Jackie Flynn.

This episode is 34:09 long.

This episode was published on Mar 13, 2026.

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