In 2019, Dr. Jamie Marich (in collaboration with several ICM team members) introduced a new term called EMDR Phase 2.5 to enhance discussion in the EMDR community about how to best transition from EMDR Phase 2 (Preparation) to the reprocessing phases (3-6). Fully compliant with the 8-Phase Standard Protocol, Marich (an admitted Standard Protocol purist) emphasizes the importance of teaching a wide variety of skills to widen affective window of tolerance in Phase 2 to prepare clients for the level of affect that they may encounter in the reprocessing phases. EMDR Phase 2.5 assumes that doing one Calm Safe Place exercise or any technique promoted by a trainer as being “all you need” is never sufficient for Phase 2, especially in working with complex trauma and dissociation. Moreover, having intense affect come up in Phase 2 can actually be a gift to the process overall, offering a chance for people to practice distress tolerance that is imperative for fully embracing the reprocessing phases. Dr. Jamie is known for her both/and approach to clinical puzzles that can be particularly useful when your worksheets and formulas seem to fail you and your clients, and she brings that style to this 3-hour home study course that explores the various domains of working within this transition zone.