By Rachel Cagle, LPC
Psychotherapist Rachel Cagle offers her personal clinical perspective on EMDR and Somatic Experiencing.
As a therapist who integrates EMDR and Somatic Experiencing (SE), I often find myself navigating the intersection of structured protocol and intuitive body-based work. My personal and professional journey has led me to understand that healing trauma requires more than just cognitive insight.
It requires connection to the body. In fact, it was SE and other somatic modalities that inspired the development of courses in Somatic Integration and Processing, also known as SIP, at Beyond Healing Institute.
During a previous episode of the Notice That podcast, fellow clinician Amanda Johnson and I discussed how EMDR and SE can be woven together to support deeper, safer healing. Both of us are EMDR-trained therapists currently pursuing advanced study in SE.
During our conversation with host Jennifer Savage, we explored the similarities, differences, and integration of these two powerful modalities.
What Drew Us to Somatic Experiencing
Like many clinicians, my first exposure to SE came through personal experience. I felt at odds with my body for much of my life, and traditional talk therapy left something missing. SE helped me reconnect to my body in a safe and empowering way, and I wanted to share that possibility with my clients. That led me to begin formal SE training, where I’m currently completing the intermediate level.
Amanda also shared how a profound experience as a client, where her therapist combined EMDR and sensorimotor psychotherapy, sparked her interest in the somatic realm. That moment opened her up to the deeper work of healing beyond cognition and propelled her toward SE, and ultimately, into consultation and training.
EMDR or SE? You Don’t Have to Choose
At first glance, EMDR and SE might seem like very different therapies. EMDR is often perceived as a structured, protocol-driven, and cognitive-centered modality. SE is often described as fluid, intuitive, and somatic. But at their core, both therapies share a common goal: helping clients process trauma in a way that respects the nervous system’s need for safety.
And the good news is there’s no need for therapists to pick between EMDR and Somatic Experiencing. Each modality brings something unique, and together they offer a more holistic path to healing. Integration is both an art and a practice that takes time, curiosity, and humility.
Shared Foundations: Pendulation and Titration
One area of overlap is the use of pendulation, which is the practice of gently moving a client’s attention between activation (trauma) and regulation (resource). EMDR practitioners know this as “dual awareness,” often used in Phase Two preparation. SE, however, teaches pendulation as a foundational skill that can be used throughout every phase of therapy to build affect tolerance and nervous system resilience.
Another concept is titration, which SE emphasizes as a way to introduce small amounts of traumatic material so the client isn’t overwhelmed. This idea brings nuance to EMDR preparation and reprocessing, especially for clients with complex trauma.
Integrating SE into EMDR Work
For me, integration often depends on the client. With new clients, I often blend EMDR and SE from the beginning, explaining how both tools will be used in tandem. For existing EMDR clients, introducing SE requires more care, pacing, and collaboration.
Amanda described her current practice as “somatic EMDR,” where the lines between modalities overlap. For her, the EMDR protocol serves as a framework, but how she moves within that structure is shaped by SE, a process she compares to choosing whether to draw with a crayon or a pencil.
As a clinician using both modalities, sometimes you’ll find that the work leans more cognitive, and at other times, more somatic. Through training and experience, we learn to adapt our treatment protocol based on the client’s needs, readiness, and nervous system capacity.
How SE Enhanced My Approach to EMDR
I often describe language as the visible tip of the iceberg. What lies beneath the water is the somatic story waiting to be heard, and SE helps to bring that story to the surface.
SE has impacted how I show up in session, not only in tracking clients’ experiences, but also how I track my own. I’ve learned to notice subtle changes in breath, posture, and facial expression. I pay more attention to pauses between words and shifts in emotional tone. These micro-movements, often below the surface of language, tell us so much about what’s happening inside a client’s body.
The Therapist’s Body: A Healing Tool
One powerful lesson from SE is the role of the clinician’s own body in therapy.
As clinicians, we learn to attune to our clients, but SE invites us to also attune to ourselves. How does my body respond when I sit with a client’s pain? Can I notice the tension in my chest or the pull in my gut and use that information to guide the session?
This embodied awareness strengthens our presence and enhances the therapeutic relationship. It allows us to co-regulate with clients and model what it means to be grounded, even in the face of distress.
Benefits of Somatic Training for EMDR Clinicians
While many EMDR courses briefly introduce body-based awareness, additional somatic training expands the therapist’s toolkit for supporting nervous system safety. Somatic work builds on traditional EMDR topics such as pendulation or body scans and explores how the clinician can help clients feel more at home in their bodies.
SE plays an important role in gently building the client’s capacity for emotional activation before reprocessing begins. By engaging in this foundational nervous system work, therapists reduce the risk of overwhelming clients or bypassing unprocessed trauma.
Getting Started with Somatic Work
For some EMDR therapists, a multi-year training program may be the right path for enhancing your practice. For others, there are multiple possible entry points to somatic work:
- Explore polyvagal theory to better understand nervous system states.
- Take short somatic workshops or introductory trainings to build foundational skills.
- Do your own somatic work. Your capacity to guide clients into their bodies begins with awareness of your own.
Ultimately, this work is about helping clients feel safer in their bodies while reprocessing trauma in a way that brings lasting change.
If you’re a therapist wanting to deepen your somatic skills and bring more embodiment into your EMDR practice, I encourage you to explore SIP courses with our EMDRIA-approved trainers at Beyond Healing Institute. SIP combines principles of SE, polyvagal theory, and trauma-informed care to help EMDR clinicians expand their skillset in the areas of nervous system attunement and supporting clients more holistically.
- Somatic Integration and Processing I
- SIP II: Healing the Fragmented Self and Complex Trauma
- SIP Integration
If you would like to learn more about training at Beyond Healing Institute, I encourage you to contact us online, send an email to [email protected] or give us a call at 417-942-7384.