Harmonizing EMDR Therapy and Clinical Hypnosis: Building Blocks for Working with Complex Developmental Trauma

Friday October 2, 2026 9am - 4:30 pm ET

Skill Level: Intermediate

6 CEs (Connect is an APA & NBCC approved CE provider)

6 EMDRIA Credits Requested

Instructor: Bill Brislin, M.A., LMHC, NCC, EMDRIA Approved Trainer & Consultant

This is a live, in-person training being held at La Amistad Behavioral Health Services in Winter Park, FL .

Audience: Mental Health Professionals including Social Workers, Psychologists, Counselors, Graduate Students and pre-licensed therapists who are on a track to licensure.

Prerequisite: There is no prerequisite for this training. Participants do not have to be trained in either EMDR or Clinical Hypnosis, although prior experience with either/both is welcomed.

About This Course:

EMDR therapy and clinical hypnosis are compatible psychotherapeutic modalities. The Adaptive Information Processing model which guides EMDR provides a framework for both hypnotic and EMDR based interventions. This workshop illuminates how EMDR and hypnosis can synergistically contribute to enhanced clinical outcomes, particularly when working with more complex clinical presentations.

Video and case examples will be used to highlight compatibility between EMDR and hypnosis methods for diminishing distress and promoting attachment repair. Prior hypnosis or EMDR training is not necessary for attendance.

Fees: $200

Cancellation policy: full refund minus credit card processing fee if canceled more than two weeks prior to training. No refund available after September 18, 2026.

Learning Objectives:

At the close of this training participants will be able to:

Explain the function of dual-attention bilateral stimulation in memory processing.
List the three phases of complex trauma treatment.
Integrate hypnotic methods into 3 emotional regulation interventions.
Describe the role of phobias in maintaining structural dissociation.
List the circumstances where an ego state interweave may be effective.
Utilize a method for rapid desensitization that can be used independently or judiciously during EMDR processing.
Discuss the spectrum of attachment injury in choosing treatment intervention.
Apply hypnotic age progression and/or EMDR Future Template methods to assist in achieving a future goal.

About The Presenter:

Originally from Pennsylvania, Bill has been a therapist in Orlando, Florida for over thirty years. He is an EMDRIA-Approved Basic Trainer and Consultant as well as an EMDR R-TEP/G-TEP trainer. Bill has integrated hypnotherapy into his clinical work for many years and is Certified by the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH).

Bill provided the Orlando R-TEP/G-TEP training in response to the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. Bill has a special interest in complex trauma and dissociation which began during his fifteen years as a therapist in an AIDS support agency. He has found the integration of clinical hypnosis and EMDR Therapy particularly useful in working with complex trauma.

Along with Reg Morrow, Bill facilitates an advanced complex trauma consultation course which is open to distance learners. He offers advanced trainings in working with Anxiety and with Dissociation as an EMDR Therapist.

Philosophically grounded in the humanistic tradition, he utilizes EMDR therapy as his primary modality with great attention to attachment injury and early life trauma.

Schedule – Eastern Time Zone

9:00 am - 10:45 am: Introduction and Overview EMDR Therapy & Clinical Hypnosis – Differences & Overlap; Complex Trauma Considerations

10:45 am - 11:00 am: Break

11:00 am - 12:30 pm: Phase 1 Treatment Interventions & Strategies: Hypnotic enhancement of stabilization interventions w/ Practicum; Working with dissociative phobias

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm: Lunch

1:30 pm - 2 pm: Phase 2 Treatment Interventions & Strategies, Use of Hypnosis during EMDR Reprocessing Phases, Hypnosis-informed Interweaves

2 pm - 3 pm: EMDR Phase 2 Treatment Interventions & Strategies (continued) - Rapid Desensitization w/ Practicum

3 pm - 3:15 pm: Break

3:15 pm - 3:45 pm: Attachment Repair in Phases 1 & 2 Ideal Parent Figure Work in Hypnosis and/or EMDR

3:45 pm - 4:30 pm: Phase 3‎ Hypnosis & EMDR Methods for Future Goal Achievement w/ Practicum

ADA Assistance

Our in-person trainings are held in facilities that are in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please contact Claire at Claire@ConnectEMDR.com or (407) 970-7915 if accommodation is required for this in-person training.

Statement of Proactive Commitment to Inclusion & Diversity

Connect welcomes trainees and consultees from all cultural, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds, sexual and gender orientations. We are committed to providing a safe and inclusive learning environment for all trainees and consultees, including Black People, People of Color, Indigenous People, and LGBTQ People. We pledge to proactively address issues of cultural competence and culturally-based trauma during every phase of professional development.

Attendance Requirement

Per EMDRIA, participants must attend the training in its entirety and actively participate in all supervised practice exercises in order to receive a certificate of completion for their training. Those who miss more than 15 minutes of any portion of the training, at any point during the training, may be dismissed from the training at the discretion of the staff and will not receive a certificate of completion, CE credits, or a refund.

CEs

Connect is approved by:

The American Psychological Association (APA). Connect is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Connect maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
The National Board of Certified Counselors. Connect has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7534

While most states and licensing boards accept course work that has been approved by nationally recognized certifying bodies, such as APA, licensed professionals should contact their regulatory board to determine course approval.

Florida Clinicians: Under 64B4 - 6.002, the 491 rules permit the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) and the American Psychological Association (APA) to be approved continuing education providers for all 491 licensees. You will simply upload your CE certificate to CE Broker.

Grievances:

Connect seeks to ensure equitable treatment of every person and to make every attempt to resolve grievances in a fair manner. Please submit a written grievance to info@ConnectEMDR.com. Grievances would receive, to the best of our ability, corrective action in order to prevent further problems.

There is no known conflict of interest nor commercial support for this program.

Harmonizing EMDR Therapy & Clinical Hypnosis: Building Blocks for Working with Complex Developmental Trauma ( SAMPLE)