The Eight Phases
What Is EMDR?
The eight-phase model, the AIP theory, and what a session feels like.
Phase 1: History-Taking
Mapping targets and building the treatment plan.
Phase 2: Preparation
Stabilization and resourcing — Calm Place and Container.
Phase 3: Assessment
Activating a target: NC, PC, SUD, VOC.
Phase 4: Desensitization
Reprocessing with dual attention until distress clears.
Phase 5: Installation
Strengthening the positive belief to a felt 7.
Phase 6: Body Scan
Clearing residual somatic charge.
Phase 7: Closure
Returning to equilibrium at every session's end.
Phase 8: Reevaluation
Checking what held and steering what's next.
Mechanism & Reference
Bilateral Stimulation
What the eye movements, tones, and taps actually do.
EMDR Glossary
SUD, VOC, AIP, touchstone, channel — every term defined.
Does EMDR Work?
What forty years of trials and guidelines show.
EMDR For…
EMDR for PTSD
The presentation EMDR was built for — and where its evidence is strongest.
EMDR for Anxiety
Treating the experiences beneath panic, phobias, and worry.
EMDR for Depression
Reaching the beliefs and losses underneath low mood.
EMDR for Complex Trauma
Adapting the protocol for C-PTSD and developmental wounds.
EMDR for Grief
Clearing the trauma of a loss while keeping the love.
EMDR with Children
The same engine, a developmental gearbox.
Attachment-Focused EMDR
Relationship as the reprocessing engine (AF-EMDR).
Online EMDR Therapy
The protocol, delivered through a screen.
Self-Administered EMDR
What's safe to do alone — and what isn't.
Comparisons & Context
EMDR vs CBT
Two proven paths for trauma, two very different routes.
EMDR vs Brainspotting
Close cousins, not twins.
EMDR vs Somatic Experiencing
Memory-led vs body-led trauma work.
History, Evidence & Suitability
The History of EMDR
From a walk in the park to a global therapy.
Evidence & Research
The trials, meta-analyses, and guidelines behind EMDR.
Who Is EMDR For?
Suitability, good candidates, and when to pause.
Techniques & Scripts
The Standard EMDR Protocol
How the eight phases and three prongs fit together.
Target Sequence Plan
Turning a client's history into a treatment map.
Selecting Targets
Touchstones, nodes, and feeder memories.
The Float-Back
Tracing a present trigger to its root.
Cognitions List
The NC/PC belief pairs, grouped by theme.
Cognitive Interweaves
Restarting blocked processing without leading.
The Calm Place
Building a mental refuge you can return to.
The Container
Setting distress down safely until you can process it.
The Butterfly Hug
Self-administered bilateral stimulation for calming.
EMDR Resourcing (RDI)
Building the stability reprocessing runs on.
Window of Tolerance
The arousal zone where reprocessing works.
Session Notes
What to document — and why it drives the next session.
Scripts & Printables