The Building Blocks of EMDR
What are the phases of EMDR?
EMDR therapy combines different elements to maximize treatment effects. It heavily focuses its attention to three time periods: the past, present, and future.
This process takes into account past disturbing memories and current situations that cause distress to develop the skills and attitudes needed for positive future actions. With EMDR therapy, these items are addressed using an eight-phase treatment approach.
PHASE 1
The first phase is a history-taking session. The therapist (you) assesses the client’s readiness and develops a treatment plan. Client and therapist work together to identify possible targets for EMDR processing by discussing past trauma and any current triggering situations in their lives.
PHASE 2
During the second phase of treatment, the therapist ensures that the client has several different ways of handling emotional distress. This is where you can give suggestions for different types of imagery and stress reduction techniques that the client can use immediately.
PHASE 3-6
In phases three to six, a target is identified and processed using EMDR therapy procedures. These involve the client identifying three things:
1. The vivid visual image related to the memory
2. A negative belief about self
3. Related emotions and body sensations.
Along with these identifiers, the client would then come up with a positive belief that the therapist would then use to help the client rate the intensity of their emotions and use during EMDR processing.
PHASE 7
At the end of the session, the therapist should ask the client to keep a log during the week. The log should document any related material that may arise and serves to remind the client of the stress reducing activities that were discussed in phase two.
PHASE 8
Phase eight consists of examining the progress made and evaluating the clients needs.
With the phases of EMDR Therpay laid out bare for you to see, you can now take this information and use it to incorporate it into your own practice. Please see our related books and references for further explanations.
References: EMDR Institute, Inc. "What is EMDR?" emdr, https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/, Accessed 25 January 2022
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