The 8 Phases of EMDR Therapy
1. History-Taking
This is where your therapist gets to know you—your background, your current struggles, and what you want help with. You’ll talk about any upsetting memories you want to work on and what’s happening in your life now. The goal is to get a full picture so the therapist can create a plan tailored to you.
2. Preparation
Before diving into any trauma work, your therapist helps you feel safe and ready. You’ll learn simple techniques to calm yourself down if things get intense. This could include breathing exercises, visualization, or grounding tools. Think of it like building a mental “toolbox” you can use anytime.
3. Assessment
Now you pick one memory to focus on. You’ll identify the image that pops into your mind, the negative belief you have about yourself (like “I’m not safe” or “It was my fault”), and where you feel it in your body. You’ll also rate how distressing it feels, so you can track progress later.
4. Desensitization
This is where the EMDR starts to help. While thinking briefly about the memory, you’ll do something that stimulates both sides of your brain—like moving your eyes side to side, tapping your hands, or listening to sounds in alternating ears. You just let your mind go wherever it needs to, and the therapist guides you gently through the process. Over time, the memory feels less painful and less “charged.”
5. Installation
Once the distress has gone down, you replace the old negative belief with a positive one—something like “I’m safe now” or “It wasn’t my fault.” You’ll focus on that positive belief and strengthen it using the same back-and-forth brain stimulation.
6. Body Scan
Next, you’ll do a mental scan of your body to check for any leftover tension or discomfort. Sometimes the body holds on to trauma even when the mind starts to let go. If you notice anything, the therapist may do a few more rounds of EMDR to help clear it out.
7. Closure
Every session ends with making sure you feel grounded, calm, and safe. Whether you finished working through the memory or not, the therapist helps you return to the present moment and feel stable before you leave. You might do some calming exercises again or talk briefly about how you’re feeling.
8. Reevaluation
At your next session, your therapist checks in on the memory you worked on. Is it still feeling neutral? Has anything new come up? If needed, you might do a few more rounds. Otherwise, you’ll move on to the next memory.