Introduction: Why Containment Is the Hidden Skill in EMDR
Before clients ever reprocess trauma, they need a way to contain what surfaces.
The EMDR Container Exercise is one of the most powerful stabilization techniques used in therapy to help clients safely store intrusive memories, distressing images, or unresolved sensations until the next session.
It’s a core part of the Preparation Phase of EMDR — ensuring clients don’t feel flooded between sessions and can keep their day-to-day functioning stable while deeper processing unfolds.
In this post, you’ll learn:
- How the EMDR Container Exercise works
- Step-by-step instructions you can use in sessions
- Common variations and therapist tips
- A printable Container Worksheet from us Therapy Courses to support clients after session. In the pop up.
What Is the EMDR Container Exercise?
The container is a mental imagery tool — a safe, secure place in the client’s mind where they can “store” unwanted thoughts, images, or feelings until they’re ready to revisit them with therapeutic support.
It’s not avoidance — it’s containment.
🧠 Think of it as emotional file storage: the memory stays accessible, but not active.
This exercise is especially valuable for:
- Clients with complex trauma
- Those prone to dissociation or emotional flooding
- Early-stage EMDR clients not yet ready for desensitization
Step-by-Step: The EMDR Container Exercise
You can guide the client through this in session using calm pacing and grounding language.
1️⃣ Preparation
Invite the client to close their eyes and imagine a place or object that feels safe, secure, and private.
💬 Example script:
“Let’s imagine a container — it could be a box, chest, vault, or safe — strong enough to hold anything you’d like to set aside for now.”
Encourage sensory detail:
- What color is it?
- What is it made of?
- How big is it?
- Does it open and close easily?
2️⃣ Visualization
Guide the client to notice this container in their mind’s eye.
If they struggle to visualize, invite them to feel or sense it instead.
“You might imagine placing a difficult image, feeling, or thought inside — and closing the lid securely.”
3️⃣ Bilateral Stimulation (Optional)
During EMDR preparation, add gentle bilateral stimulation (slow eye movements or tapping) while the client reinforces the image of containment.
This helps link the container to a sense of calm and control.
4️⃣ Testing & Reinforcement
Ask the client to imagine opening and closing the container — safely, at their control.
“You decide when to open it again — perhaps next session, when you’re ready.”
Confirm that they feel confident the container is sealed and can hold distress securely.
5️⃣ Grounding Afterward
Have the client imagine walking away from the container and returning to the present.
Ask them to describe something they see in the room, feel in their body, or hear right now.
🪶 Therapist Tip: Pair the container exercise with the Safe Place Visualization to strengthen safety before processing begins.
Variations of the Container Exercise
| Version | Ideal For | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional Box or Safe | Most clients | Strong, lockable mental image |
| Digital Safe / Cloud Vault | Tech-oriented teens | Upload difficult thoughts into a “mental drive” |
| Natural Imagery Container | Somatic or nature-based clients | Buried box, tree hollow, river rock imagery |
| Energy Light Container | Spiritual or imaginative clients | Enclose distress in light and dissolve it temporarily |
Tip: Let the client design their own. The more personalized the imagery, the more effective it becomes.
Common Challenges and Therapist Tips
If the client can’t visualize:
- Use tactile imagery (“Imagine the feeling of closing the lid.”)
- Draw the container together on paper
If they’re afraid to let go of the contents:
- Reassure them it’s temporary storage, not erasure
- Emphasize choice and control — they decide when to open it again
If the container “doesn’t work”:
- Reinforce boundaries: “Imagine it’s double-sealed, unbreakable.”
- Add gentle BLS to help solidify the mental image
The Science Behind Containment
Containment works through dual attention — the client can hold awareness of both distress and safety at once.
This builds emotional tolerance and prevents re-traumatization.
Research on EMDR and imagery techniques shows that guided visualization combined with BLS helps regulate the nervous system and strengthen emotional boundaries (Leeds, 2016).
EMDR Container Worksheet (Printable Resource)
To make this practice concrete, use the Therapy Courses Container Worksheet — designed for in-session or between-session use.
Worksheet Prompts Include:
- “Describe your container (color, shape, size, material).”
- “What makes it strong or secure?”
- “Where will you keep it in your mind?”
- “What feelings or memories will you place inside today?”
- “What phrase helps you remember it’s safe to store things there?”
The worksheet also includes a reflection page for post-exercise grounding and notes.
🧾 Download it in the pop up (if you missed it click the teaser in the corner)
OR checkout our EMDR Worksheet Bundle for Therapists — includes everything you need for EMDR (scripts, worksheets for clients, TICS, history taking). 120 pages of content!
Integrating the Container Exercise into EMDR Sessions
Use it in:
- Early sessions before trauma reprocessing
- Between difficult targets
- Closing incomplete sessions
- Crisis stabilization or after triggering content
Combine with:
- Physical grounding tools (weighted blanket, cold water, soft object)
- Gentle bilateral tapping during visualization
- Journaling afterward using your EMDR Reflection Worksheet
Conclusion: Safety First, Healing Follows
The container exercise is simple — but its impact is profound.
It gives clients the power to hold their story without being held by it.
By teaching containment early, you strengthen safety, trust, and self-regulation — the cornerstones of effective EMDR therapy.
Because real healing happens when the nervous system knows:
“I can set this down and come back when I’m ready.”
✅ Next Step for Therapists:
Download the EMDR Preparation Worksheets Pack — includes the Container Exercise, Safe Place Visualization, and Therapist Session Prompts.
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