Phase II Protective Parts Work: An EMDR Therapist Script

This Phase II EMDR script helps therapists get unstuck when protective or avoidant parts block trauma processing. Grounded in EMDR and IFS integration, it guides clinicians in building cooperation with protectors, restoring safety in the system, and opening the pathway to lasting reprocessing and change.

For EMDR clinicians integrating parts work and trauma processing

This EMDR Phase II script helps therapists move beyond the common clinical impasse of getting stuck with protective or avoidant parts that block access to trauma memory networks. It offers a structured, compassionate approach for identifying, engaging, and collaborating with protective parts—so clients can feel safe enough to allow trauma processing to occur.

Developed through an integration of EMDR’s Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model and Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed interventions, this script provides step-by-step dialogue for:

• Gaining permission from protective parts for trauma work

• Reducing activation and fear within the client’s internal system

• Establishing clear internal differentiation between Self and parts

• Reconnecting the client’s adaptive capacities to allow full reprocessing

By guiding therapists through direct access, resourcing, and somatic attunement, this tool bridges stabilization and reprocessing phases—helping clients move from avoidance to lasting change.

Ideal for: EMDR-trained therapists working with complex trauma, dissociation, or clients who chronically “hit a wall” in processing.
Outcome: Increased readiness for reprocessing, deeper cooperation from protective systems, and more consistent resolution of trauma material.