When you’re looking for a therapy approach, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) are two approaches for support with difficult emotions, painful experiences or patterns that are affecting your life.

Starting therapy can already feel overwhelming, especially when you’re faced with a dozen different approaches that all sound equally important. Two of the most common types that people hear about are cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).

Vulnerability isn’t a personality trait you either have or don’t. It’s a skill, and like most skills, it’s built through practice in conditions that feel manageable rather than being thrown into the deep end without warning.