We create this content from the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish Nations. As settlers providing EMDR therapy in Vancouver, we acknowledge that bilateral stimulation practices have existed in Indigenous communities worldwide long before clinical EMDR was developed.

This post is part of our “Therapy Beyond Walls” series, exploring how healing happens beyond traditional office settings. Other posts in this series examine somatic work, art therapy, play and animal partnered therapy.

In This Guide:

• Ancestral Roots of Bilateral Stimulation
• Cultural Practices & Modern EMDR
• Decolonizing EMDR Practice
• Cultural Safety in Trauma Processing
• Community-Based Approaches
• Practical Applications
• Research & Traditional Wisdom
• Next Steps

Ancestral Roots of Bilateral Stimulation

While EMDR therapy in Vancouver is often presented through a Western clinical lens, bilateral stimulation – the core mechanism of EMDR – has deep roots in ancestral healing practices worldwide. These practices have been supporting healing and transformation long before their “discovery” by Western psychology.

Traditional healing practices incorporating bilateral stimulation include:

• Indigenous drumming ceremonies that create alternating rhythms for healing
• Traditional African practices using specific eye movement patterns
• Asian meditation movement patterns
• Sacred movement ceremonies that employ bilateral body work
• Community healing rituals using rhythmic motion and sound

These practices carry generations of wisdom about how our bodies and minds process experiences and heal from difficulty.

Cultural Practices & Modern EMDR

In Metro Vancouver’s diverse communities, many SDQTBIPOC+ individuals carry knowledge of traditional healing practices that incorporate bilateral stimulation. Through decolonial therapy practices, we work with you to uncover these approaches as foundational, not supplementary, to trauma healing work.

Traditional practices often include:

• Movement-based grief processing through dance and ritual
• Communal drumming circles for collective healing
• Traditional ceremonies incorporating bilateral elements
• Storytelling practices that include rhythmic movement
• Meditation practices using specific breathing patterns

These practices offer profound insights into how bilateral stimulation can be integrated into culturally meaningful healing experiences. They remind us that healing is often communal, rhythmic, and deeply connected to cultural wisdom.

Decolonizing EMDR Practice

As providers of culturally responsive EMDR therapy in the Lower Mainland, we actively work to decolonize our approach. This means moving beyond simply acknowledging traditional practices to actively centering them in our work.

Our decolonial approach includes:

• Recognizing EMDR as one framework among many valid healing traditions
• Adapting protocols to honor bodymind needs and wisdom as well as cultural ways of knowing and healing
• Supporting reconnection with traditional healing practices
• Challenging the medicalization of ancestral wisdom
• Incorporating traditional metaphors and healing concepts

This work requires ongoing learning, unlearning, and accountability to the communities we serve.

Cultural Safety in Trauma Processing

Creating culturally safer spaces for trauma processing means understanding that trauma itself is often culturally specific and historically rooted. Through anti-oppressive EMDR therapy in Vancouver, we prioritize:

• Understanding historical and intergenerational trauma contexts
• Using culturally relevant metaphors and language
• Recognizing collective trauma impacts
• Supporting cultural identity exploration
• Honoring traditional healing timeframes

Cultural safety also means recognizing when EMDR might not be the most appropriate approach and supporting access to traditional healing practices instead.

Community-Based Approaches

While EMDR is often practiced individually, we recognize the importance of community in healing. Our approach to EMDR therapy in Greater Vancouver includes:

• Group adaptations of bilateral stimulation practices
• Community healing circles incorporating EMDR elements
• Collective trauma processing workshops
• Family and intergenerational healing sessions
• Cultural reclamation through group work

Practical Applications

In our practice, we’ve witnessed powerful healing emerge when traditional wisdom meets contemporary EMDR approaches. Here are some examples (details changed for privacy):

• A client integrating traditional drumming rhythms into their processing sessions
• A family incorporating ancestral movement practices with EMDR
• A group using cultural songs and bilateral stimulation
• Individual work combining traditional healing metaphors with EMDR protocols
• Community healing sessions blending multiple approaches

Research & Traditional Wisdom

While Western research is beginning to validate what traditional healers have known for generations, we believe in honoring both clinical evidence and ancestral wisdom. Current understanding shows:

• Traditional bilateral practices have supported healing across cultures for millennia
• Contemporary research confirms the effectiveness of rhythmic, bilateral movement in trauma processing
• Cultural healing practices often incorporate multiple elements now recognized as therapeutic
• Community-based approaches show promising results in collective healing

Continue Exploring Therapy Beyond Walls

Coming up in this series:

• Play Without Permission: SDQTBIPOC+ Centered Therapy in Vancouver
• Paws, Reflect, Resist: Animal Partnered Therapy in Vancouver

Next Steps in Your Healing Journey

Ready to explore how culturally responsive EMDR therapy might support your healing? Here are some ways to connect:

1. Book a free consultation to discuss how EMDR therapy might support your healing journey.

2. Take our 3-minute questionnaire to receive personalized therapist recommendations.

3. Explore our free resource database for more information about trauma healing approaches.

Have questions? Reach out to us at connect@venturouscounselling.com or text 778.775.7504.

Remember: Healing wisdom exists in many forms. Whether you’re seeking EMDR therapy in Vancouver or exploring traditional healing practices, we can support your journey in ways that honor your cultural experiences and knowledge.

Healing from trauma requires a compassionate and effective approach, and EMDR therapy has been proven to help individuals process difficult experiences. Our specialized EMDR Therapy in Vancouver provides a structured and supportive environment to facilitate deep healing and emotional resilience.