Preparation / Resource Clinical consensus

Container Exercise

Interactive container visualization — pick a box, name what's bothering you, put it inside, lock it, put it somewhere safe until you can come back to it.

This is a reference tool, not a replacement for EMDR therapy. EMDR must be delivered by a trained clinician. If you are using these tools outside of therapy and become distressed, stop, ground yourself, and contact a mental health professional.

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Step 1: Pick your container

Which of these feels right for today?

Clinical sources

Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures, 3rd ed. Guilford Press. (Phase 2 resource installation procedures.)

What this is

A guided container exercise: you pick a container you like, put the things that are bothering you inside it, lock it, and decide where to keep it safe. It’s a way of saying “this is important, and I can come back to it — but right now I don’t have to carry it.”

When to use it

Clinicians: Phase 2 preparation, containment of between-session material, or at closure if anything came up that the client needs to set aside.
Families: At bedtime if worries are piling up. Before school if something big is on your child’s mind.

Clinical notes

Nothing the user names is stored. The exercise is about the process of choosing, naming, and setting aside — not about keeping a list.

Container Exercise

Step 1: Pick your container

Step 2: Put things inside

Step 3: Lock it

Step 4: Put it somewhere safe

It's put away.

Clinical sources

What this is

When to use it

Clinical notes