u/Unique_Annual_8855

TL;DR: A list of "targets you might not think of, but that might make a big difference" would be good for making desensitization with somatics more accessible to the public.

I have been doing EMDR since 1992 and am now fascinated by the extension of reprocessing (or whatever you'd like to call desensitization that heavily uses somatic methods) into new areas. Our increasing sophistication with putting these things together is opening up new horizons.

It seems that some of the greatest targets are things that we totally take for granted or are somehow just "embedded" into our experience of life, who we are, etc. Experimenting with my own issues and doing presentations on self-care using techniques drawn from these areas really got me thinking about this.

So… Could you share some examples of targets where you've gone outside of the usual anxiety, trauma, phobia areas? I'm especially curious about stuck places we get into in life. Habits, food noise and such (whether professionally or as self-care).

Example: I was badly procrastinating on bringing my website live, even though it was close to ready. I had done a ton of work to make it suit me. I did a session (self-care style) and found that the overblown/misplaced concerns that had "behavior modded" me away from my website definitely had the makings of good targets. (Fear and loathing of neglecting other pressing issues, mainly.) As soon as I was done, the path to finishing this was much clearer and it took me less than two hours to touch it up enough to go live. I thought, "Jeez, why didn't I do this a year ago?"

So I think creating a list of "targets you might not think of, but that might make a big difference" would be good for making reprocessing (or whatever you like to call it) more accessible to the public, whether for getting therapy or learning a practical self-help variation.

By the way, I also made good progress with long-haul Covid symptoms of my own to help me get my life back to 100%. I learned the EMDR depression protocol, which produced a dramatic improvement in a client with lifelong depression. We need to keep exploring the boundaries of what can be done with these techniques.

P.S. "Targets" are what people focus awareness on in desensitization. A target originally was a traumatic memory, but that definition had expanded.

P.P.S. I'll stick my neck out and guess that we all know the ethics of how to avoid over-promising, and that there are limits to what psychological techniques can accomplish for medical symptoms. So I don't think there's a need for any lectures about that here. Same for warnings about not doing it wrong. But, you be the judge.

I was getting up to date on DV treatment and was really sad to see that desensitization such as EMDR is not being incorporated into research or programs. Apparently there's some concern about destabilization in a population with poor self-control, and that treating trauma directly would be like making an excuse for their behavior. But it's 2026, so much is known now about integrating somatics, titrating (limiting) exposure, and even being able to target more recent triggers with reduced risk of tapping into early trauma right away. It looks like we're really missing an opportunity. Also, how hard could it be to frame treatment in a way that avoids making excuses? I'm not an expert in this population, but I'm really surprised after all this time. Especially with the progress made in identifying subgroups that are not psychopathic, that have proven to be more successful in treatment programs. And especially when treatment outcomes have such high recidivism rates, showing a need for continued innovation. This seems like low-hanging fruit. I'm reading that the trauma-informed aspect that is being incorporated into these programs has similar objectives, but the important aspect, the bottom-up approach, sounds like it's a glaring omission.

Thoughts? Anyone innovating with this population.

I delved into this because I'm preparing presentations on the melding of desensitization, somatics, and light hypnotic work and how it can be crafted into self-help skills for the general public.