What if I told you that your veteran clients already possess the tools they need to heal? Tools forged in the fires of basic training, deployments, and everything in between. Your job is to help them uncover those strengths and use them to thrive. Today, we're diving into the preparation phase of EMDR therapy, and I'll show you how to use a veteran positive event timeline. Welcome to Call Sign Wizard, the podcast for therapists who work with veterans. I'm your host, Doc V, a veteran, therapist, and your guide to navigating the complexities of treating those who've served. We tackle critical topics like PTSD, chronic pain, military culture, and evidence based treatments to arm you with the tools you need to provide the best care possible. Before we begin, make sure to follow this podcast, join our newsletter for therapists, and connect with our growing family. Veteran Focused Therapist's Facebook Group. Links are in the description. Let's talk about EMDR Phase 2, the preparation phase. This is where we're going to identify and strengthen adaptive resources to help our clients reprocess trauma. For veterans, this phase is critical. It's where we dig into their timeline to uncover strengths that they might not even realize that they have. Veterans often bring a lifetime of resilience, courage, and adaptability to the table. But here's the thing, they don't always see it. Many of them think, I'm just doing my job. Our job, as therapists, is to help them see their victories and use them to confront their struggles. And here's how we do it. First, I ask my clients to create a positive event timeline, starting as far back as they can remember and moving to the present. This isn't about generic happy memories, like I went to the beach with my family and it was fun. No, I'm looking for moments of grit, of determination. I went to the beach and I saved a whale. You get the idea. Now, here's where it gets interesting. After you explain the exercise, let the silence do the work. Don't rush to fill it. Let them think, let them dig deep. That discomfort of silence? It's not your enemy. It's a tool. Once they start sharing, jot everything down. Ask follow up questions. What did it feel like in that moment? What were the physical sensations? And can you feel that now? When clients can embody those positive qualities in the present, they're more likely to be able to use them, to bring them up when it matters. Now, veterans have an additional layer to their timeline, their military career. This is where the magic happens. Think about it. Basic training, AIT, deployments, leadership roles, awards, each stage of their career is packed with opportunities to demonstrate strength, bravery, and resilience. For example, basic training. What was it like to leave home for the first time? How did you get through those ruck marches or what helped you qualify as an expert marksman? Leadership roles. What qualities helped you earn that promotion? How did you inspire your team? What is it that your leaders saw in you that allowed them to make a decision to promote you? Deployments. What strengths kept you going during those high stress missions? And then there's special skills and teams that our veterans may have been in. Ask them about those. Maybe they were SEALs, Rangers, or Air Force PJs. These experiences are a goldmine for positive qualities. And we're not just collecting memories here. We are collecting qualities. We're helping them see that they faced adversity before and emerged stronger. And here's why it all matters. These qualities don't just stay on the page. These adaptive materials become the foundation for reprocessing trauma. They're the antidotes to negative cognitions and memories. They're a large part of what makes EMDR possible. This isn't just about looking backward. It's about moving forward. And what's more, you can use those qualities to form cognitive interweaves in those moments where reprocessing stalls. Admittedly, this does overlap with Resource Development and Installation, or RDI, but instead of starting with identifying needed qualities, we are identifying positive events in the veteran's life and pulling qualities from them. We can still use RDI to strengthen these found qualities. When you've finished gathering their timeline, read it back to them. Let them hear their strengths aloud. Invite them to write it down, maybe even incorporate it into a gratitude journal. These moments aren't just nice to have, they can be transformative. And don't forget, this timeline will double as a roadmap for you. It will reveal not just their strengths, but also potential trauma points. Use it to guide your case conceptualization and treatment planning. Veterans don't just deserve our care. They deserve the best care. By using tools like EMDR and this Positive Event Timeline, we can help them see their strengths, confront their challenges, and ultimately heal. I've created a free PDF to walk you through this process. Step by step. You'll find the link in the description, along with links to our newsletter and Facebook group. So join the conversation. Share your experiences using this positive event timeline, if it works for you. Let's work together to ensure veterans receive the care that they've earned. Thank you for tuning in to Call Sign Wizard. Until next time, keep doing the work that matters. They've served us. Let's serve them.