TL;DR: Fidget toys — especially tactile ones like therapy putty — work as grounding anchors during EMDR sessions. They give your hands a physical task that keeps you present during reprocessing, making it easier to stay in the window of tolerance instead of dissociating or flooding. Many EMDR therapists actively recommend them.
Why do therapists use fidget toys in EMDR?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) asks your brain to do something genuinely hard: revisit traumatic memories while staying regulated enough to reprocess them. The bilateral stimulation — eye movements, tapping, audio tones — is the engine. But staying grounded while that engine runs is the part most people struggle with.
That's where tactile tools come in. Squeezing putty or manipulating a fidget object gives your nervous system a secondary anchor. It's physical proof that you're in a room, in a chair, in the present. When your brain starts pulling you into a memory, the sensation in your hands keeps one foot in the here-and-now.
What kind of fidget toy works best for EMDR sessions?
You want something quiet, non-distracting, and engaging enough to hold your attention without stealing it. Click-y fidgets or spinners with visual motion can pull focus from the bilateral stimulation — which is the opposite of helpful.
Therapy putty hits the sweet spot. It's silent, it provides variable resistance (you can squeeze hard or knead gently depending on your activation level), and it doesn't require visual attention. You can work it in one hand while the other holds a tapping buzzer, or knead it in your lap while tracking eye movements.
Other solid options: smooth stones, textured fabric swatches, or soft squeeze balls. The key is tactile without being theatrical.
Can I bring my own fidget toy to therapy?
Absolutely. Most EMDR therapists are thrilled when clients bring their own grounding tools — it shows body awareness and self-regulation initiative. If your therapist doesn't already have tactile tools in their office, bringing your own putty or fidget object is completely appropriate. Just give them a heads-up so they can integrate it into the session flow.
Some therapists specifically assign grounding objects as homework between sessions, too. Having a putty you associate with your therapy space can become a portable anchor — squeeze it at home during a flashback and your nervous system recalls the safety of the session.
Does it actually improve EMDR outcomes?
Research on tactile grounding during EMDR is still emerging, but the clinical logic is solid. EMDR works best when the client stays inside their window of tolerance — activated enough to process, not so activated they dissociate or shut down. Anything that helps a client stay in that window increases the likelihood of successful reprocessing.
Therapists who specialize in complex trauma report that tactile grounding tools reduce the frequency of dissociative episodes during sessions and help clients return to baseline faster after processing intense material.
What about between sessions?
EMDR can stir up a lot between appointments. The reprocessing doesn't stop when you leave the office — dreams, body sensations, emotional waves, all normal. Having a tactile grounding tool at home gives you something to reach for during those between-session surges. It's not a substitute for the containment exercises your therapist teaches, but it's a useful addition to the toolkit.
Find your grounding anchor at beastputty.com — therapy-grade resistance for therapy-grade work.