199. EMDR Sand Tray Therapy for Trauma Healing: Ana Gomez on Symbols, Attachment, & Integration — Lessons from the Playroom

In this episode, Lisa welcomes back Ana Gomez, internationally recognized expert in EMDR Therapy, complex trauma, and dissociation, for her third appearance on the podcast. Ana shares insights from her brand-new book, EMDR Sand Tray-Based Therapy: Healing Complex Trauma and Dissociation Across the Lifespan, offering practical, innovative strategies for trauma work.

Together, Lisa and Ana explore the evolution of Ana's integrative approach, combining her love of symbols, dreams, and sand tray work with EMDR therapy. This powerful union creates a flexible pathway for clients to safely access and process traumatic experiences, reorganize their relationship with their life stories, and unlock reparative, healing moments—even when verbal language is limited.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

How sand tray symbols and avatars act as "story keepers," allowing children and adults to safely engage with overwhelming experiences.
Real-life clinical examples, including a transformative case with a child in foster care who connected with his experiences through symbolic play before he could verbalize them.
Strategies for integrating EMDR and sand tray therapy with individual clients, parent-child dyads, families, and group settings.
How to honor protective patterns and internal defenses while gradually moving experiences from implicit memory into explicit awareness.
Ways parents can actively participate in sessions, supporting attachment completions and delivering guided interweaves under the therapist's guidance.
Practical insights for therapists, play therapists, and trauma professionals seeking adaptable, client-centered approaches that facilitate healing, integration, and identity work.

Ana also shares where to find her book and access her global trainings and workshops, providing clinicians with tools to deepen their practice and expand their therapeutic repertoire.

Whether you're EMDR-trained, a play therapist, or simply curious about innovative trauma work, this episode is packed with wisdom, inspiration, and practical guidance for your clinical toolkit.