How to Use Your EMDR Session Notes to Prepare for Your Next Session

How to Use Your EMDR Session Notes to Prepare for Your Next Session

Short Answer: You can use notes from a previous Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) session to help decide what to focus on next. Review what you worked on, anything that felt different afterward, and any thoughts, feelings, or memories you want to revisit. Your notes do not need to be detailed or organized in a particular way. A few sentences can help you remember where you left off and choose a starting point for your next session.

Key Takeaways

• Reviewing previous EMDR notes can help you remember what you worked on and what stood out.
• Look for changes in how a memory, thought, feeling, or belief seems to you now.
• Notes can help you decide whether to continue with the same target or choose something different.
• You can include observations from between sessions if something relevant came to mind.
• You do not need to analyze every note or document every detail of your sessions.
• Session notes are optional, and you can prepare for your next EMDR session without them.

Why Review Your Notes Before Another EMDR Session?

An EMDR session may involve focusing on a particular memory, situation, thought, feeling, or belief while using bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, alternating sounds, or tapping.

During the session, you may notice changes in what comes to mind, how strongly you react to a memory, or what you believe about the experience.

If you wrote down a few observations afterward, reviewing them can help you remember what seemed important at the time.

For example, your notes might remind you that you were working on a difficult conversation and noticed that one particular comment felt less upsetting by the end of the session.

When preparing for your next session, you can consider whether that experience still feels important to work on.

The purpose of reviewing your notes is not to measure every change or decide whether the previous session was successful. It is simply to help you reconnect with what you were working on and decide what you would like to address next.

Start by Looking at What You Worked On

A useful starting point is to identify the main focus of your previous session.

In EMDR, this is often called the target.

A target might be a specific memory, a recent upsetting situation, a negative belief, or another concern you want to work on.

For example, your notes might say:

• "I focused on an argument with a family member."
• "I worked on a memory of feeling embarrassed at school."
• "My main focus was the belief that I am not good enough."

You do not need to reconstruct the entire session.

Simply identifying the original focus can help you remember what you were addressing.

From there, consider whether you want to continue working on that target or whether something else now seems more relevant.

If your previous session focused on a difficult argument, you might also note whether anger is still part of what stands out.

Notice What Felt Different After the Previous Session

Your notes may include observations about changes you noticed during or after EMDR.

For example, you might have written that:

• A particular memory felt less upsetting.
• An image seemed less vivid than before.
• You noticed a different emotion connected with the experience.
• A negative belief felt less convincing.
• You began seeing part of the situation from another perspective.

These observations can be useful when preparing for another session.

However, you do not need to assume that a change recorded immediately after EMDR will feel exactly the same when you return to the memory later.

Instead, use your notes as a reminder of what you noticed at the time.

You can then consider how the memory or concern feels to you now.

Sometimes your experience may be similar to what you recorded. Other times, you may notice additional changes or find that a particular part of the experience still attracts your attention.

Either way, your current experience can help guide your next focus.

Use Your Notes to Decide What to Focus On Next

Once you have reviewed your previous notes, you can consider what you would like to work on in your next EMDR session.

There are several possibilities.

Continue With the Same Memory or Concern

If the original target still feels important, you may want to return to it.

For example, you might have worked on an uncomfortable memory and noticed that some of the emotional intensity had decreased, but part of the experience still bothers you.

You can choose to focus on that same memory again.

There is no requirement to move to a new target after every session.

Focus on a Related Thought or Memory

Sometimes your notes may remind you of another experience connected with the original target.

For example, after working on a memory of being criticized, you might notice that a similar feeling comes up in another situation.

You may decide that the related experience would be useful to address next.

You do not have to follow every connection that comes to mind. Simply consider whether it relates to something you want to work on.

Choose a Different Focus

Your priorities can also change between sessions.

Perhaps you originally worked on a past experience, but a current situation has become more important to you.

You can choose a different target rather than continuing with the previous one simply because it appears in your notes.

The notes are there to support your decisions, not determine what you must work on.

What If You Noticed Something New Between Sessions?

Sometimes you may notice a relevant thought, emotion, memory, or reaction after an EMDR session has ended.

For example, you might realize that a situation that previously bothered you feels different, or you might remember another experience connected with the original target.

If you wrote down that observation, you can review it before your next session.

Consider whether it seems relevant to the work you want to continue.

You do not need to interpret every new thought or memory as a sign that something important has happened.

You also do not need to deliberately revisit distressing memories between sessions just to generate more notes.

If something naturally stands out and you want to remember it, a short note can be enough.

A Simple Way to Organize Your Notes Before Your Next Session

You do not need a detailed system for reviewing EMDR notes.

If you prefer a little structure, you can organize your observations around three basic questions:

1. What did I work on last time?

Write down the main memory, situation, thought, or belief that was the focus of your previous session.

2. What do I notice about it now?

Consider whether anything feels different when you think about the experience. You might notice a change in emotional intensity, a different perspective, or no particular change.

3. What would I like to focus on next?

Decide whether you want to return to the same target, explore something related, or choose another concern.

For example, a brief preparation note might look like this:

Previous focus: An argument with a coworker.

What I notice now: The argument does not bother me as much as it did, but I still think about how I responded.

Possible next focus: Whether I want to continue working on that conversation or address my feelings about speaking up in difficult situations.

This is only an example.

Your notes might be shorter, longer, or organized differently. The purpose is to make it easier to identify a useful starting point, not to create a formal record.

What If Your Notes Are Incomplete or You Did Not Write Anything Down?

You can still prepare for your next EMDR session.

Keeping notes is optional, and there is no requirement to document what happens during every session.

If you remember your previous focus, you can begin there.

If you do not remember exactly what you worked on, consider what is on your mind now.

You might recall a general concern, a particular feeling, or a situation you want to address.

That can be enough to identify a starting point.

You do not need to recreate the previous session from memory or spend time trying to remember every detail.

A session can be useful without producing a written record.

How to Use Your Notes With Virtual EMDR

Virtual EMDR is a structured, self-guided online EMDR program that allows you to work through sessions independently.

Because you choose when to begin each session, you can take a few moments beforehand to review any personal notes you have made.

For example, you might look at what you focused on previously and consider whether you want to return to the same memory or choose something different.

If your notes mention a change in a belief, emotion, or memory, you can consider whether that change still feels relevant.

You do not need to complete a detailed review before starting.

A brief reminder of what you want to work on may be enough.

If you are doing therapist-guided EMDR, either in person or remotely through video, your notes can instead help you remember something you want to discuss with your therapist.

In either format, the purpose of reviewing notes is to help you identify what matters to you now.

Avoid Turning Your Notes Into a Progress Test

It can be useful to look back at previous observations, but you do not need to treat your notes as a record that must show improvement after every session.

For example, you may have written that a memory felt less upsetting immediately after EMDR.

When you review that memory later, you might notice that it still carries some emotional intensity.

You do not need to decide that the previous session was unsuccessful simply because your current reaction is different from what you recorded.

Similarly, you do not need to compare every emotion, thought, or body sensation with earlier entries.

Your notes are most useful when they help you remember what you noticed and make practical decisions about what to work on.

They do not need to demonstrate a particular pattern of progress.

Conclusion

Reviewing your EMDR session notes can be a simple way to prepare for your next session.

You can look back at what you worked on, notice whether anything feels different, and consider what you would like to address next.

Your notes may help you decide whether to continue with the same memory, explore something related, or choose a different focus.

There is no need to review every detail, analyze every reaction, or maintain a detailed record of your progress.

Whether you are using therapist-guided EMDR or a self-guided program such as Virtual EMDR, a few useful observations can help you approach your next session with a clearer idea of what you want to work on.