EMDR: What Are the 8 Phases?

In previous blog posts, we have generally talked about what EMDR or Eye Movement Desensetization
Reprocessing Therapy is. In this post, we are going to elaborate a little bit more about what each of the
8 phases look like in EMDR.

To recap, EMDR is a great treatment modality for a vast array of mental health concerns including PTSD,
anxiety, grief, and depression. It utilizes bilateral stimulation of the brain to reprocess adverse lie
experiences or traumatic events that seem “stuck” in the brain, it is similar to recreating REM in deep
sleep in order to process events so that we may leave behind maladaptive information and take
adaptive information with us. EMDR is very different than talk therapy, it requires a lot less talking and
can take less time than traditional talk therapy. The whole process occurs over 8 different phases, if you
are looking for EMDR therapy this is what it will generally look like:

Phase 1- Planning: This is similar to an intake process therapy. The therapist will talk with you about
what is bringing you into EMDR therapy and to make sure it is a right fit for you. We also want to make
sure you feel comfortable with us as a counselor, as that is an ESSENTIAL part in therapy as a whole and
the counselor will target building a sense of safety in the therapeutic space.

Phase 2- Preparation: Again, building a sense of safety is heavily focused on in this phase. This may
include building and identifying resources, coping strategies, emotion regulation skills, self-compassion
strategies, and assessing protective/risk factors.

Phase 3-Assessment: One of the primary goals of EMDR is to move through past memories that feel
“stuck” or you may feel like you are reliving them. IN this phase, the goal is to identify either specific
memories or a “theme” of memories to target in EMDR along with associated negative beliefs you may
hold about yourself.

Phase 4- Desensitization: Once you identify a memory or “cluster” of memories you will be asked to
recall the experience. In this phase, bilateral stimulation is engaged. This process includes the “eye
movement” parts of EMDR where you are looking left to right to engage the survival part of your brain.
This left-right stimulation AKA the bilateral stimulation, is the core process of EMDR. Other counselors
may use sound or touch with your permission as well, as it is important there is a method selected that
works best for you.

Phase 5-Installation: Once the distress associated with the traumatic memory has been distinguished,
you will then be asked to focus on a positive belief (something you want to believe about yourself)
instead of a negative one. Utilizing bilateral stimulation, we will help reinforce that belief.

Phase 6- Body Scan: A massive part of trauma is how it is stored in the body. In this phase, the counselor
will have you recall the memory and scan your body for any physical response to the trauma. If any
negative response, the counselor will utilize bilateral stimulation to reprocess and “clear out” the
trauma stored in the body. If any positive response, the counselor will use bilateral stimulation to
reinforce the pleasant sensations.