Healing early bonds: A protocol for early attachment trauma
Description
The Healing Early Bonds (HEB) Protocol integrates EMDR therapy with Resource Therapy interweaves to address preverbal and attachment-related wounds by engaging both neurobiological and relational pathways to healing. It draws inspiration from EMDR innovators Mark Brayne (2022) and Sandra Paulson (2017) and was created spontaneously in therapy to elicit deeper processing from a participant.
HEB invites clients to visualise themselves as infants in relation to their primary caregivers, activating implicit memory networks. Therapists are encouraged to attune somatically and intuitively, offering the empathic resonance the infant once needed. Using bilateral stimulation alongside imagery rescripting, clients can voice unmet needs, reframe early experiences, and establish secure internal attachments with resource figures.
HEB extends EMDR practice beyond single-event trauma, offering a structured yet adaptable approach to complex developmental wounds. By returning to early development, this protocol bypasses protective parts that often block processing of later events and weakens their impact for both participant and therapist.
This presentation describes the clinical framework, therapeutic process, and benefits of the HEB Protocol. Case examples illustrate how integrating EMDR with Resource Therapy promotes resolution of preverbal trauma, enhances attachment security, fosters self-compassion, and can be adapted across diverse populations, addressing unique needs and cultural considerations, enhancing inclusivity and effectiveness in therapy.
By uniting the structured precision of EMDR with the relational depth of Resource Therapy, the HEB Protocol exemplifies EMDR’s evolution, from trauma reprocessing to relational repair, and offers clinicians a creative, neuro-affective approach to transforming the earliest bonds that shape human resilience.
HEB invites clients to visualise themselves as infants in relation to their primary caregivers, activating implicit memory networks. Therapists are encouraged to attune somatically and intuitively, offering the empathic resonance the infant once needed. Using bilateral stimulation alongside imagery rescripting, clients can voice unmet needs, reframe early experiences, and establish secure internal attachments with resource figures.
HEB extends EMDR practice beyond single-event trauma, offering a structured yet adaptable approach to complex developmental wounds. By returning to early development, this protocol bypasses protective parts that often block processing of later events and weakens their impact for both participant and therapist.
This presentation describes the clinical framework, therapeutic process, and benefits of the HEB Protocol. Case examples illustrate how integrating EMDR with Resource Therapy promotes resolution of preverbal trauma, enhances attachment security, fosters self-compassion, and can be adapted across diverse populations, addressing unique needs and cultural considerations, enhancing inclusivity and effectiveness in therapy.
By uniting the structured precision of EMDR with the relational depth of Resource Therapy, the HEB Protocol exemplifies EMDR’s evolution, from trauma reprocessing to relational repair, and offers clinicians a creative, neuro-affective approach to transforming the earliest bonds that shape human resilience.
Format
Conference
Language
English
Original Work Citation
Jablonski, M. (2026, May). Healing early bonds: A protocol for early attachment trauma. Poster presentation at the annual EMDRAA Conference, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Collection
Citation
“Healing early bonds: A protocol for early attachment trauma,” Francine Shapiro Legacy Library, accessed July 14, 2026, https://francineshapirolibrary.omeka.net/items/show/30301.