Learn a Powerful EMDR Tool for Calming Overwhelming Thoughts

The Container Exercise

Just like storing items in a suitcase, the EMDR Container Exercise helps you safely set aside overwhelming thoughts until you’re ready to process them.

When preparing for EMDR therapy, one of the most important steps is building strong inner resources. These tools give clients the ability to feel grounded and safe, even when difficult memories or emotions arise. One widely used and research-supported tool in EMDR Phase 2 is the Container Exercise.

This simple yet powerful visualization allows clients to temporarily “set aside” overwhelming thoughts, emotions, or images, creating a sense of control and stability. By practicing the Container Exercise before EMDR trauma processing begins, clients strengthen their nervous system regulation and increase their resilience in daily life.

What Is the Container Exercise?

The Container Exercise is a guided imagery practice where you imagine a secure, sealed container—something strong enough to safely hold anything you are not ready to process yet. This could be a box, vault, chest, or even a digital safe. The idea is not to “get rid” of emotions, but to store them in a safe space until you and your therapist are ready to return to them.

Francine Shapiro, the founder of EMDR therapy, emphasized the importance of resourcing and stabilization before processing trauma:

Resource development and installation are crucial in preparing clients for trauma processing, ensuring stability and emotional safety before engaging with distressing memories.” (Shapiro, 2018, p. 252)

Why It Works

The Container Exercise supports emotional well-being in several key ways:

• Emotional regulation: By providing a clear mental “storage space,” overwhelming thoughts and feelings become more manageable.

• Safety and control: Clients gain a sense of choice over when and how to face difficult memories or emotions.

• Inner balance: The exercise encourages calm and groundedness, helping the mind and body feel organized and supported.

With regular practice, the Container Exercise becomes a valuable tool for managing daily stress, anxiety, and trauma triggers, giving clients a reliable way to feel more centered and resilient.

When to Use the Container Exercise

• Before bed to calm a busy mind

• After a stressful day at work

• During therapy sessions to set aside overwhelming material

• Anytime you feel your thoughts spiraling

How to Practice the Container Exercise

How to Use This Recording

We created a guided audio version of the Container Exercise to support our clients between sessions. This resource can be assigned as homework during EMDR preparation, or used anytime you need to quiet intrusive thoughts.

Disclaimer: This recording is a supportive tool and is not a substitute for professional therapy. If you feel overwhelmed or find that distressing thoughts persist, we encourage you to connect with a licensed mental health professional.

Here’s a brief outline of how you might use this resource at home:

1. Find a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed.

2. Close your eyes and take a few calming breaths.

3. Visualize a strong container—it might be a locked chest, a steel vault, or a glowing box of light. Choose an image that feels right to you.

4. Place distressing thoughts, feelings, or images inside this container one at a time. Imagine sealing it shut.

5. Notice the relief that comes with knowing you can return to those materials later with support, but they won’t intrude on you now.

Many clients find this exercise especially helpful before bedtime or after a stressful day, as it reduces rumination and promotes calm.

Building Your Toolbox for Healing

The Container Exercise is just one of the resourcing practices we use to help clients build resilience. Other tools include the Light Stream and Calm Experience, each designed to bring you back into balance.

If you’re struggling with trauma, anxiety, or stress and want to learn more about EMDR therapy, we’re here to help.

Acadia Psychotherapy & Associates provides trauma therapy, EMDR, and somatic approaches for clients in McKinney, TX, and across Texas via telehealth.

References

Shapiro, F. (2018). EMDR therapy: An overview of the eight-phase treatment model. Springer Publishing Company.

About the Author

This resource was developed by Elizabeth Boyer, Founder of Acadia Psychotherapy & Associates, located in McKinney, TX. Our practice specializes in EMDR and somatic therapy for trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and related conditions. Our mission is to provide compassionate, integrative care to help clients build resilience and reclaim their lives.