EMDR for Complex Trauma: Incorporating Polyvagal & Parts Work in Treatment
Farnsworth Lobenstine, LCISW
Paula Merucci, LCSW, CADC
Resources from the Presentation
Polyvagal Starter Pack
A simple, practical framework to help clients connect with safety and regulation. This tool is one of Paula’s signature approaches, and you’ll see how it comes alive in our EMDRIA presentation.
Meeting Place Video
This short film by Katy Gelians, LPC introduces The Meeting Place, a therapeutic exercise adapted from George Frazier’s conference room technique. It’s a powerful way to help clients safely connect with and organize protective and wounded parts of themselves.
Color Coded DES
This visual, clinician-only version of the Dissociative Experiences Scale—annotated by Dr. George A. Fraser—uses a color-coded layout to help therapists quickly interpret DES responses. It’s a practical tool for deepening assessment and understanding dissociative symptoms. We’ll be referring to it during our EMDRIA presentation.
8-Phase Starter Pack
A fully downloadable practitioner’s packet that brings together Phase 1 history-taking, stabilization, and resource tools—all structured around a neurobiologically informed, AIP-aligned framework. It includes everything from dissociation screening (like the DES), grounding exercises, identity and cultural interview prompts, cognition planning, resourcing tools like containers and peaceful places, and detailed EMDR phase scripts.
CIPOS Video & Script
This downloadable PDF walks you through the powerful CIPOS method, pioneered by Paula Merucci and Farnsworth Lobenstine. Based on Jim Knipe’s work, it features practical tools like the Back-of-the-Head Scale and a structured approach for toggling between trauma memory and present-moment safety—ideal for working with complex clients. This script will be a key component of our EMDRIA Session 335.
The Mid
Access the latest official materials for the Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation (MID)—a comprehensive, clinician-administered self-report tool for assessing dissociative symptoms. Simply complete the request form, and you’ll receive email access (typically within 24 hours) to the MID Interpretive Manual, MID Analysis tool, and scoring system. This powerful resource supports nuanced assessment—essential for those wanting to explore dissociation through neurobiologically informed and trauma-informed frameworks.
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