The Relational Thread
EMDR and the therapeutic relationship — one thread, several forms
EMDR and the therapeutic relationship have too often been treated as separate conversations — one about protocol, the other about presence. The Relational Thread is the body of work where Beyond Healing brings them back together: a forthcoming book, a weekly essay series, and read-aloud episodes on our podcast, all following a single question. What actually changes people — and what happens between therapist and client when healing becomes possible?
If you are a therapist who has ever finished a session with the sense that something between you and your client moved — or refused to — this page is the front door to that conversation.
About the authors
Bridger Falkenstien, PhD, LPC
Therapist, EMDR trainer, researcher, and Director of Training at Beyond Healing Institute. Writes the weekly essays.
Jen Savage, LPC
Therapist, EMDR trainer, and co-host of Notice That. Co-author of the forthcoming book.
The book: Reclaiming the Relational Thread (2027)
EMDR and the Therapeutic Relationship: Reclaiming the Relational Thread by Bridger Falkenstien and Jen Savage arrives in 2027. The book makes a sustained case that the therapeutic relationship is not peripheral to EMDR therapy but foundational to it — that attunement, co-regulation, and presence are mechanisms of change in their own right, woven through every phase of the standard protocol.
Across three parts — the relational foundations of EMDR, the thread woven through the eight phases, and the therapist within — the book moves from interpersonal neurobiology and psychotherapy outcome research to the consulting room: enactments, relational memory, presence over protocol, and the clinical use of the therapist’s own inner experience. It is written for EMDR therapists, trainees, and any clinician who has sensed that technique does its best work inside a relationship.
Publication updates, endorsements, and pre-order details will live on this page as the book approaches.
The essays: one a week, starting now
The book arrives in 2027. The thread is already being written. The Relational Thread on Substack publishes one essay each week on the intersubjective space, the person of the therapist, and what seems to happen when two nervous systems meet in the work of healing — written by Bridger Falkenstien, growing directly from the questions at the heart of the book.
Subscribing is free, and every essay lands in your inbox:
Latest from the Thread
- On the moment at the door, the space between, and what your training taught you not to count
- In this episode, Bridger welcomes Anastasia Soroka to Notice That for a one-on-one conversation about intersectionality, invisible identities, power, and complexity in the therapy room.
- In this episode of Notice That: An EMDR Podcast, we sit down with internationally respected clinician, trainer, and author Deb Wesselmann to explore the powerful intersection of EMDR therapy, attachment […]
Prefer to listen?
Every essay is also read aloud by the author as a weekly episode on Notice That, our EMDR podcast — the written piece, plus a few minutes on why it was written. Same thread, different medium. You can also browse all of our shows on the Beyond Healing podcast hub.
Where the thread leads
The Relational Thread is part of Beyond Healing’s larger work with clinicians. If the essays name something you have been circling in your own practice, the next steps live here on the site: our resources for therapists and our clinical trainings, including EMDR Basic Training and Somatic Integration & Processing — where these ideas are practiced, not just read.
Frequently asked questions
Is The Relational Thread a book or a newsletter?
Both, deliberately. The Relational Thread is the name of a body of work: a book arriving in 2027 (EMDR and the Therapeutic Relationship: Reclaiming the Relational Thread) and a free weekly essay series on Substack that continues the book’s questions in public. One idea, several forms.
Who writes The Relational Thread?
The book is co-authored by Bridger Falkenstien, PhD, LPC — therapist, EMDR trainer, and Director of Training at Beyond Healing Institute — and Jen Savage, LPC, therapist, EMDR trainer, and co-host of Notice That. The weekly essays are written by Bridger.
What is the book about?
It argues that the therapeutic relationship is foundational — not incidental — to EMDR therapy, and shows how attunement, co-regulation, and the therapist’s own presence participate in change across all eight phases of the protocol.
How much does the essay series cost?
Nothing. The weekly essays are free — you subscribe with an email address and one essay arrives each week. There is no paywall.
Can I listen to the essays instead of reading them?
Yes. Each week’s essay is read aloud by the author on Notice That, Beyond Healing’s EMDR podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts.
I’m not an EMDR therapist. Is this for me?
Yes. The work speaks from EMDR, but it is written for any clinician curious about the intersubjective space, the person of the therapist, and relationally grounded trauma work.