The Dance of Attachment: An Introduction to Relational EMDR Therapy®
An EMDR Protocol for Intervention in an Unpredictable World
May 16, 2026: 11:00 am - 6:15 pm ET
May 17, 2026: 11:00 am - 4:30 pm ET
Renan Silva
Catherine Luensmann
admin@emdrtherapy.com
Strengthen the Relationship. Transform Complex Trauma Treatment.
The focus of this training is the dance itself—the relationship between the client and therapist that makes it possible for clients to take the journey into the painful unknown of the past. It builds on the core understanding that what goes on in the consulting room and in the therapeutic relationship is a microcosm of a client’s injuries, challenges and adaptations. This unique EMDR focus provides opportunities to do meaningful work in real time in the consulting room. Here are a few of the benefits you can expect to gain:
- Heightened capacity for being present and attuned so you can track your client’s—and your own—emotional and somatic experience moment by moment.
- Ability to establish a “good enough” relationship as the foundation for processing past experiences including those formed outside the domain of language and explicit memory networks.
- Strategies for transforming “moments of collision” into “moments of meeting” and opportunities for growth.
- Insights into your own attachment style, vulnerabilities, patterns of response, triggers and new strategies for recovery and repair.
- Access new points of entry to meaningful healing based on a client’s response to therapy—in and out of processing—and to you as therapist.
- Learn the value of using therapeutic contracting as an ongoing process not a one-time event at the start of therapy.
Like all of our advanced EMDR trainings, The Dance of Attachment explores an expanded application of EMDR's powerful healing processes and protocols as a comprehensive psychotherapy. This training covers new protocols designed for specific situations, use of Clinical Interweave Strategies to repair emotional and developmental deficits and more.
Meet your Trainer
DEANY LALIOTIS, LICSW, LCSW-C
I’m Deany Laliotis, the Founder & Director of The Center. I am passionate about the power of EMDR therapy to transform lives. Since 1993, I had the privilege of working very closely with Dr. Francine Shapiro, the originator of EMDR, and was mentored by her until her death in 2019. I was the Director of Training for EMDR Institute Inc., the program developed by Dr. Shapiro that trained clinicians all over the world in EMDR therapy. We trained thousands of EMDR therapists over the years in this comprehensive approach to healing trauma. My vision has always been to offer a continuum of trainings from Basic to Masterclasses, which is what The Center currently offers. We welcome you to join us as part of our community of lifelong learners!
Continuing Education Information
The Dance of Attachment: An Introduction to Relational EMDR Therapy®
Presented by: The Center for Excellence in EMDR Therapy
Course: Live Online
CE Credits: 18 CE Credits
Instructional Level: Master
Target Audience: This training is appropriate for doctoral‑level psychologists and other independently licensed mental health professionals.
Course Description
As EMDR therapists who treat complex developmental trauma, we understand the importance of a dynamic therapeutic alliance as part of what makes it possible for our clients to "go there," especially when trust and safety have been elusive. How we relate to our clients is part of the “memory in the making,” the parallel process that we co-create with them. The invitation is for us to bring our best selves to this work in order to navigate this unchartered emotional territory of self and other. In this 3-day master course with practice, we will examine the therapist’s clinical stance to the client’s presentation and how to enlist our clients in a collaborative approach in their journey towards healing and transformation.
Learning Objectives
- Identify one or more core precepts of Relational EMDR Therapy
- Explain the precepts of the Adaptive Information Processing Model (AIP) of EMDR
- Develop an AIP-informed, mutually elaborated understanding and agreement of the client’s problem and agreed-upon goals for therapy
- Identify memories for reprocessing that inform the attachment patterns that are problematic for the client in the context of their current relationships
- Identify one or more strategies in and out of reprocessing to bring attention to the client’s experience in the moment
- Identify one or more attachment-related patterns of response associated with each
- attachment style
- To identify one or more attachment-related patterns of response on the part of the therapist that can be problematic
- Identify and distinguish between core affective responses and defensive affective responses as adaptations to unresolved trauma
- Effectively apply at least three or more clinical interweave strategies (CIC) to facilitate reprocessing effects
- Effectively apply relational interweave to facilitate making it a shared experience between therapist and client
- Identify one or more fears and blocking beliefs that can arise during the course of treatment
- Apply the three-pronged approach of past, present and future to optimize treatment effects
Identify and strengthen one or more positive experiences in between sessions and link it with a corresponding belief about the self that represents the client’s evolving self-identity
Course Interaction and System Requirements
- An internet connection – broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE)
- Speakers and a microphone – built-in, USB plug-in, or wireless Bluetooth
- Virtual camera software for use with broadcasting software like OBS or IP cameras
- Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari: Within the current and past 2 versions
- macOS X with macOS X (10.13) or later or Windows 10 or later
Important Information
Certificate of Completion will be delivered within 10 business days after training if all attendance & participation requirements have been met.
If you need ADA accommodation requests, special accommodations, have questions, grievances, or would like to submit a refund request, please contact us at admin@emdrtherapy.com.
There is no conflict of interest or commercial support for this program.
Refund Policy: Tuition is refundable up to 30 days in advance, less a $75 administrative fee. Withdrawals between 14-29 days from the start date of the training are refundable less a $150 administrative fee. Withdrawals less than 14 days from the start date are not refundable. The tuition, less a $250 administrative fee, can be credited towards another Intermediate or Masterclass training in the future at the Standard Rate. All cancellations must be made in writing via email to admin@emdrtherapy.com. No refunds or credits will be issued once the training begins. In case of extenuating circumstances, we may offer a one-time option of enrolling in a future Intermediate or Masterclass training at a reduced rate of $500 if space allows. Master retreats are exempt from this option due to limited availability. The Center reserves the right to cancel or reschedule the training at its discretion and will either credit one’s tuition towards a future training or offer a full refund.