Tagging Trauma in the Nervous System: EMDR, Somatics, and Polyvagal Wisdom with Dr. Arielle Schwartz

In this episode of Notice That: An EMDR Podcast, Jen and Bridger sit down with Dr. Arielle Schwartz—somatic psychologist, EMDR therapist, and author of EMDR Therapy and Somatic Psychology—to explore what really happens when EMDR and body-based work are woven together in the therapy room.

Together, they dive into:

• How Arielle’s early training in somatic psychology shaped the way she learned and practices EMDR
• Why the body scan and somatic check-ins are not just “boxes to tick,” but core guides for pacing, target selection, and resolution
• Polyvagal theory’s view of how trauma gets “tagged” in the nervous system—both in external cues and internal sensations
• What to do when clients say, “I don’t feel anything in my body” and how even that response is meaningful data
• The myth that SUDs “should always go down,” especially with dissociative and complex trauma presentations
• Arielle and Barb Maiberger’s “golden nugget practice” and why we shouldn’t wait for a SUD = 0 to install and future-template meaningful shifts
• Therapist embodiment: using our own nervous system as an instrument for attunement, pacing, and repair

Arielle also shares about her Somatic EMDR trainings through BodyLab, her therapist retreats in Sedona and Costa Rica, and her Beyond Trauma nervous system care retreats, including an immersive experience in South Africa that combines yoga, nervous system education, and observing animals in the wild.

You’ll hear practical language, case examples, and flexible ways to honor EMDR’s structure while staying deeply relational, embodied, and responsive to the nervous system in front of you.

Learn more about Dr. Arielle Schwartz:

• Website (events, retreats, trainings): resilienceinformedtherapy.com
• Website (blog, yoga, additional resources): drarielleschwartz.com

Check out her card deck that integrates nature photography with quotes from The Post-Traumatic Growth Guidebook—a powerful tool for helping clients locate themselves in their healing process and set intentions for EMDR and somatic work.

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