In this episode, I speak with Laurel Parnell, Ph.D. about the evolution of EMDR and the development of her attachment-focused approach. Drawing on more than three decades of experience training therapists in EMDR, Laurel shares how her clinical work with childhood trauma, abuse, diverse cultural backgrounds and complex relational histories led her to adapt and expand the traditional EMDR protocol. Laurel discusses why safety, resourcing, client autonomy, and the therapeutic relationship are essential when working with trauma, especially for clients with complex or developmental trauma. She explains the importance of looking not only at what happened to a client, but also at what they may not have received growing up, and how Attachment-Focused EMDR can help address these developmental gaps. Laurel talks about early her training with Francine Shapiro, and being part of a group of facilitators who discussed their experiences and adaptations teaching and applying EMDR in practice. She discussed her adjustments to the standard EMDR protocol including her approach to bilateral stimulation, use of bilateral tapping and other alternatives to eye movements, using resource figures such as nurturing, protective and wise figures, as well as her perspective on the standard use of positive and negative cognitions. Throughout the conversation, Laurel emphasizes the importance of trusting the client’s own healing process, adapting therapy to individual and cultural needs, and maintaining the structure of EMDR without becoming rigid or prescriptive. Laurel Parnell, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and director of the Parnell Institute for Attachment-Focused EMDR. She is one of the world’s leading experts on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and is the originator of the EMDR-related therapies Attachment-Focused EMDR and Resource Tapping. She is an EMDR trailblazer with expertise in transpersonal psychology who has immersed herself in the practice and development of EMDR since 1991. Laurel has served on the faculty of the California Institute for Integral Studies and John F. Kennedy University. She is the author of several books and videos on EMDR, including, Attachment-Focused EMDR: Healing Relational Trauma, A Therapist’s Guide to EMDR, Rewiring the Addicted Brain with EMDR-Based Treatment, Tapping In, and Releasing What Isn’t Yours: Living from Your True Self Through Multidimensional Integrative Healing. Laurel keynotes conferences, trains clinicians in Attachment-Focused EMDR, and teaches workshops nationally and internationally on Attachment-Focused EMDR, Rewiring the Addicted Brain and Resource Tapping.