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When EMDR Stalls - Getting Unstuck: Advanced Troubleshooting for Stuck Processing, Looping, and Resistance

Lisa Duez

altInstructor: Lisa Duez, LCSW, EMDRIA Certified Therapist and Consultant

alt Approved for 3 Hours of CE Credits

altFulfills License and EMDR Requirements

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Overview

EMDR clinicians often face sessions where processing stalls, loops, or halts—leaving both therapist and client feeling stuck.

This advanced-level CE course offers practical, protocol-respecting strategies to help clinicians recognize and respond to these challenges with confidence and clarity. Participants will explore the most common reasons for blocked processing, including parts interference, dissociation, affect phobia, unclear targets, and nervous system overactivation. The course provides hands-on guidance for using cognitive interweaves, returning to Phase 2 when needed, and integrating somatic or parts-informed interventions—without abandoning the EMDR protocol.

This training also addresses the clinician’s internal process, offering insight into how pacing, expectations, and countertransference can inadvertently disrupt momentum. Through clinical examples and decision-making tools, attendees will learn how to re-engage stalled reprocessing with attunement, creativity, and flexibility. Designed for experienced EMDR therapists, this course provides a clear, usable toolkit to help get stuck sessions moving again—whether you're working with complex trauma, high-functioning clients, or those new to therapy.

You’ll leave better equipped to navigate EMDR’s inevitable stuck points while deepening your clinical skill and supporting client progress.

Objectives:

At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Apply somatic and parts-informed interventions within the EMDR framework to address dissociation, unmet preparation needs, and client avoidance while maintaining fidelity to the standard protocol.
  • Demonstrate appropriate clinical decision-making strategies for restoring momentum in stuck sessions, including the use of cognitive interweaves, Phase 2 re-stabilization, and target reevaluation.
  • Identify at least five common clinical factors that contribute to blocked or looping EMDR processing, including parts interference, affect phobia, and dysregulated nervous system states.
  • Evaluate the role of the clinician’s internal experience—including pacing, countertransference, and expectations—in influencing the flow of EMDR sessions, and describe strategies for maintaining attunement and therapeutic presence.

Registration Information

View and Enroll in this course on portal.sfrankelgroup.com

All On-Demand courses released after December 2025 will be hosted on our Learning Portal: portal.sfrankelgroup.com

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Please note that our sister site and this site (our classic site) use different login accounts, though both sites are run by the same staff at the Steve Frankel Group. 

This move helps us ensure the quality and integrity of your learning experience by complying with EMDRIA and other regulations.
  $99.00

 

CE Approval Information

  • This course fulfills 3.0 hours of Advanced EMDR Training.
  • EMDRIA Program Approval Number: #15002-DL112
  • The Steve Frankel Group, LLC (SFG) is approved as a CE provider by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for Psychologists. SFG maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
  • This course meets the qualifications for 3.0 hours of continuing education credit for psychologists and licensees of the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.
    Reciprocity for Master Degree clinicians may vary by state. Please check with your state licensing agency or board.
  • The Steve Frankel Group is an approved EMDRIA Credit Provider (EC Provider Number:15002). SFG maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

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