Practical Steps for Working with EMDR, Ego States and Dissociative Parts
This one-day, online workshop on 19 September 2026 is an extended version of Mary Clare’s presentation at the EMDR UK conference last year. It will give a clear understanding of ego states and dissociative parts, integrating all ‘parts’ models including IFS, and a sequence of essential steps for working effectively with them, including some that are often missed out in training.
In this format, there will be time to walk gradually through all the steps of this work, with plenty of time for questions. The day will also include more teaching on potential difficulties, e.g. how to work with critical voices or introjected perpetrators, and why people may feel sleepy, dreamy or disturbed when talking or even hearing about dissociative parts.
Practice sessions with support from the teacher and experienced facilitators will be followed by time for reflection, questions and consolidation of learning.
All the content will be integrated into the 8 phases of EMDR, including the use of different kinds of BLS/DAS and microprocessing.
6 EMDR UK Association CPD credits awarded.
Venue: online
Date and time: Saturday 19 September, 10.30–17.30 UK time (BST), allowing for a gentle start to the day
Cost: £140 + Eventbrite fee, early booking rate available until 23 August: £120 + Eventbrite fee
Information and booking link here.
If you would like to hear about future versions of this training, please email healingcomplextrauma@icloud.com.
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A Clear Pathway to Healing: an introduction to EMDR psychotherapy
For psychologists at the King Hussein Cancer Centre, Amman, 8 October 2026, 10 am–12 pm.
Roots of Resilience: Understanding and working with attachment through the lens of trauma
A three-day course for EMDR Lebanon, Beirut, 13–15 November 2026 – information to follow.
Working with Attachment in EMDR Psychotherapy
A three-day course for EMDR Lebanon, Beirut, 27–29 November 2026, 21 EMDRIA CPD credits awarded – information to follow.
Working with Ego States and Dissociative Parts
A two-day course for EMDR Lebanon, Beirut, 2027 – dates and information to follow.
Healing Complex Trauma: Working with the Body and Dissociative Parts
This is a course that Mary Clare has taught for many years, touching on PTSD and focusing on C-PTSD or complex trauma, otherwise known as developmental or attachment trauma. It offers both an overview of complex trauma and how to recognise and work with it, and detailed content integrating many different treatment modalities (why be limited to two or three, when you can integrate all of them?). These include somatic work and every ‘parts’ model including internal Family Systems (IFS).
The course is designed to help participants integrate these modalities with confidence and ease, by teaching the underlying principles of all trauma-informed interventions.
More information on the approaches and modalities that inform all our courses can be found here.
This training is very experiential, with real-life examples, structured exercises, live demonstrations, practice sessions and time for reflection and questions. Topics include the Modified Standard Protocol; microprocessing; recognising the more subtle signs of unresolved trauma and dissociative switches; working with ego states and dissociative parts, from first contact to integration (or connection and cooperation); working with hostile parts, perpetrator introjects and attachment to perpetrators; and creating a warm, open therapeutic relationship in which people can feel safe. It also includes how to modify this for some personality disorders – and how to recognise them.
Originally open to psychotherapists, psychologists and psychiatrists, the course has increasingly attracted EMDR therapists, practitioners, consultants and trainers seeking to integrate this material into their practice of EMDR.
All the course content can be conceptualised according to the EMDR modality, for instance:
- CPTSD- and dissociation-informed history-taking, preparation, resource development and installation, and closure of complete and incomplete sessions
- Cognitive interweaves; emotional connection and regulation, and ‘telepathic’ interweaves (Gonzalez, 2020), relational, defence, modulation, experiential, information, developmental repair, action and integration interweaves (Korn, 2022), meaning interweaves (Marich, 2025)
- Somatic interventions to facilitate and enhance reprocessing, installation and post-traumatic growth
Mary Clare is now teaching this material in different formats, to EMDR clinicians and sometimes also to non-EMDR therapists – but not often in the UK, as she is focusing on training and ongoing support in Arab Countries, supervising a research working group, and the long process of becoming an EMDR trainer.
To join the mailing list for upcoming courses and workshops, please email healingcomplextrauma@icloud.com. You can unsubscribe from emails at any time with a simple ‘unsubscribe’ reply.
To discuss creating a bespoke training or keynote presentation for your organisation, you are welcome to email healingcomplextrauma@icloud.com.
For EMDR consultation enquiries, please contact deechevarria@icloud.com.
A few photos and a video:
Healing Complex Trauma: Working with Dissociative Parts, Dubai, for The Middle East and North Africa Trauma Alliance (MENATA):
Some students from A Healthy Beginning for a Promising Future, Amman, for The University of Jordan — an overview, in words, images, videos, music and Arabic poetry, of mental health, trauma and psychological treatment:
Healing Complex Trauma: Working with the Body and Dissociative Parts, Beirut, for EMDR Lebanon:
Please keep working and doing all you can for peace, and justice – peace only from justice.
Keynote, Working with EMDR and Dissociation; Optimal Integration of Parts Models, EMDR UK National Conference, 2025:
After teaching at the MENATA 2nd Annual Trauma Conference, Dubai, 2025:
A Clear Pathway to Healing: An Introduction to EMDR Psychotherapy, for The University of Jordan, Faculty of Educational Sciences, 14 December 2025:
