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When words collapse under the weight of trauma, symbols step in with clarity and care. We sit down with Anna Gomez to explore how EMDR and sand tray therapy, used together, create a safer path into memory networks, one that honors culture, protects against flooding, and invites healing to unfold at the nervous system’s pace. From the first touch of sand to the choice of a miniature, the tray becomes a living map of autonomic states, attachment patterns, and dissociative parts, allowing clients to express what feels unsayable.

We dive into implicit reprocessing, the crucial phase in which a client can work through terror and shame without immediate ownership. Think “the llama is scared” before “I was scared.” That gentle distance isn’t avoidance; it’s precision. With a polyvagal lens, we track state shifts and titrate EMDR activation like microdosing, choosing backdoor entries to memory when the front door overwhelms. For migrants, bilingual clients, and anyone facing loyalty binds or language fragmentation, symbolic work respects the realities of identity and safety while building a bridge back to words.

Clinicians at every level will find both depth and practicality here. Anna shares how to blend EMDR protocols with relational attunement, moment-to-moment decisions, and culturally grounded meaning-making. We discuss composite case patterns that reveal disorganized attachment in the tray, show how ownership often arises organically over time, and underline why therapist regulation is the anchor for complex trauma. If you’ve ever wished EMDR felt less flooding or talk therapy less confining, this conversation offers a humane, research-aligned alternative that is as structured as it is spacious.

Ready to rethink how healing begins? Listen, share with a colleague, and if it resonates, subscribe and leave a review. Your support helps more therapists and clients find this work.

A Hero's Welcome Podcast © Maria Laquerre-Diego & Liliana Baylon

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Erika brings Dungeons & Dragons into therapy sessions, creating transformative healing experiences for clients through role-playing games and character development.

• Using D&D with clients to build characters and create new therapy modalities
• Personal journey with D&D helping develop real-world skills like confrontation
• Client's story of choosing friendship over combat reveals therapeutic needs
• Facing resistance from traditional play therapy circles despite proven effectiveness
• Creating accessible D&D sand tray therapy tools for therapists with no gaming experience
• Challenging therapy systems that reject innovation they don't understand
• Advocating for evolution in play therapy to meet clients where they are

Try incorporating elements of role-playing games into your work with clients. Consider how games provide narrative frameworks that enable clients to express their needs and process emotions in ways that traditional therapy might not reach.

A Hero's Welcome Podcast © Maria Laquerre-Diego & Liliana Baylon

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Miranda shares how we can create the life we want by letting go of fear and embracing our authentic selves through the removal of protective armor that no longer serves us.

• Exploring how our "armor" protects us from vulnerability but also prevents authentic connection
• Teaching children to question their protective responses rather than automatically armoring up
• Understanding how burnout happens when therapists try to "save" clients instead of supporting their journey
• Recognizing when comparisons to idealized therapist images cause us unnecessary suffering
• Learning to pause and reconnect with our true desires and dreams
• Identifying generational patterns and cultural expectations that form our protective barriers
• Finding humor and joy as tools for connection even during difficult conversations
• Acknowledging that asking for help builds community and allows others to experience the joy of giving

When you find yourself getting stuck in old patterns, put your hand on your heart, take a deep breath, and ask yourself: "If I gave you permission to dream big and have whatever you wanted come true because you're worth it, what would that be?"

A Hero's Welcome Podcast © Maria Laquerre-Diego & Liliana Baylon