Using the color hands approach to bilateral stimulation

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.

Book Section

English

Tyne Potieger

Potieger, T. (2021). Using the color hands approach to bilateral stimulation. In Ann Beckley-Forest and Annie Monaco (Eds.), EMDR With Children in the Play Therapy Room: An Integrated Approach (pp. 393-400). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company. doi:10.1891/9780826175939.0018