By Deb Kennard, PTI Founder
When clients arrive in therapy, they often bring surface-level symptoms—anxiety, relationship struggles, emotional reactivity—but beneath those symptoms lie deeper patterns shaped by early life experiences. In our recent webinar, “From Presenting Issue to Finding the EMDR Touchstone Memory through a Somatic and Attachment Lens,” we explored how to trace those surface issues back to their roots using a trauma-informed process grounded in somatic awareness and attachment theory.
Led by PTI founder Deb Kennard, this session offered a practical roadmap for identifying the core memories that continue to drive present-day distress—and shared tools to help clinicians do so with clarity and compassion.
Why the Touchstone Memory Matters in EMDR
A “touchstone memory” is the earliest or most foundational memory that gives rise to a client’s current distress, survival strategies, and emotional triggers. It’s the thread that connects the past to the present.
In this session, Deb Kennard walked clinicians through a step-by-step process to move from a presenting issue—such as anxiety, relational conflict, or shutdown—toward identifying the underlying memory that carries the emotional charge.
A Somatic and Attachment Lens
What sets this approach apart is the intentional integration of somatic awareness and attachment theory. Instead of jumping directly into cognitive processing, clinicians are encouraged to:
🌀 Track the body’s cues
💬 Listen for relational patterns and early attachment wounds
🧠 Identify the nervous system’s survival strategies (fight, flight, freeze, fawn)
This creates a more nuanced and accurate understanding of the client’s internal landscape—and helps prevent common pitfalls like targeting surface-level memories or triggering dysregulation.
The “Finding the Problem” Sheet: A Practical Tool
One of the standout resources shared during the webinar was PTI’s “Finding the Problem” worksheet, a tool designed to:
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Help clients articulate what’s not working in their current life
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Connect present symptoms to emotional themes and body responses
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Guide the therapist in identifying related memories without forcing or guessing
This worksheet can be used collaboratively in session to build trust, deepen insight, and lay the groundwork for effective EMDR reprocessing.
What Clinicians Are Saying
“This approach made it so much easier to slow down and really understand what’s happening for my client. I used the worksheet the next day in session—and it changed the direction of our work.”
By combining structure with somatic and relational sensitivity, this method is ideal for clinicians working with complex trauma, developmental wounds, and clients who struggle to access specific memories.
Want to Learn More?
If you’re ready to deepen your EMDR skills and feel more confident in your treatment planning and target selection, we invite you to join our next free webinar. You’ll walk away with clinical tools you can use right away—and connect with a growing community of trauma-informed professionals committed to healing and transformation.
📺 Missed this session? No problem.
All our past webinars are available in the Pathways CE Library. If you’re a member, you can earn 1 CE credit per month just by watching these recordings and completing a short quiz.
👉 Sign up for our next free EMDR webinar
👉 Learn more about EMDR training with PTI