What Are the Eight Phases of EMDR?

What Are the Eight Phases of EMDR?

Short Answer

EMDR uses an eight-phase structure that organizes the process from identifying what you want to work on through preparation, reprocessing, closure, and reevaluation. The eight phases are history taking and treatment planning, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and reevaluation. They are parts of one structured process rather than eight separate treatments, and they do not necessarily take the same amount of time or fit neatly into one session.

Key Takeaways

• EMDR follows eight phases that give the process a clear structure from planning through reevaluation.
• The phases are history taking and treatment planning, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and reevaluation.
• Bilateral stimulation is especially associated with the reprocessing phases, but EMDR involves more than eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation.
• The eight phases do not necessarily correspond to eight sessions, and more than one phase can occur during a session.

Why Does EMDR Have Eight Phases?

EMDR is often recognized for its use of bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, alternating sounds, or taps. But bilateral stimulation is only one part of a larger structured process. The eight phases organize what happens before, during, and after the main reprocessing work.

That structure gives EMDR a starting point and a way to track what happens as the work progresses. Before focusing on a distressing memory or other target, there is a process for identifying what you want to work on and preparing for the experience. After reprocessing begins, there are also steps for strengthening a more helpful belief, noticing physical reactions, bringing the session to a close, and checking what has changed.

The phases are best understood as a framework rather than a rigid checklist. The amount of time spent in each phase can vary, and a phase can be revisited when needed. EMDR is commonly described as an eight-phase approach, with the phases working together across the course of treatment.

Phase 1: History Taking and Treatment Planning

The first phase is about understanding what you want to work on and identifying possible targets for EMDR.

In therapist-led EMDR, this typically includes discussing relevant history, current concerns, goals, and experiences that may be connected with the issue bringing you to EMDR.

A target does not have to be limited to one dramatic event. Depending on the concern, targets can include past memories, present situations that trigger a reaction, and experiences or situations you want to handle differently in the future. The purpose is to give the work direction rather than beginning with whatever happens to come to mind.

This phase also helps establish priorities. Someone may have several memories or situations connected with the same problem. Identifying those connections can help determine where to begin and what may need attention later.

Phase 2: Preparation

Preparation comes before the main reprocessing work. The purpose is to understand how the process works and to have ways to stay oriented and manage the experience as you move through it.

In therapist-led EMDR, the therapist explains the process, answers questions, and helps prepare the person for what will happen during reprocessing. Preparation can also include practicing strategies for settling or refocusing attention when needed.

This phase is important because EMDR is not simply a matter of thinking about something upsetting while moving your eyes. Preparation helps you understand the basic process and how to pause, refocus, or bring your attention back to the present when needed. How much preparation is useful can differ from one person to another.

Phase 3: Assessment

Assessment is where a specific target is brought into clearer focus. The target might be a memory, situation, image, or another experience connected with what you want to work on.

You identify the part of the target that stands out, along with the thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and physical sensations connected with it. Standard EMDR also uses ratings to establish a starting point for how distressing the target feels and how strongly a preferred positive belief feels true.

The goal is not to analyze every detail. It is to activate the relevant material enough to establish a clear starting point for reprocessing. This is why EMDR can often proceed without a lengthy verbal retelling of the entire experience.

Phase 4: Desensitization

Desensitization is the phase most people associate with EMDR. During this phase, you briefly focus on the selected target while bilateral stimulation is used. After a set of stimulations, you notice what comes up and continue from there.

What comes up can change as the process continues. You might notice a new thought, image, emotion, physical sensation, memory, or perspective. The process does not require you to deliberately force a particular response. Attention follows what emerges while the bilateral stimulation continues in sets.

The word “desensitization” refers to reducing the distress connected with the target. This phase is not simply about distracting yourself from the memory. The target remains part of the process while the way you respond to it can begin to shift.

Phase 5: Installation

Installation focuses on strengthening a preferred positive belief connected with the target. Earlier in the process, a distressing experience may be linked with a negative belief such as feeling powerless, unsafe, responsible, or not good enough. A more helpful belief is identified and becomes part of the work as the target is processed.

The purpose is not to repeat a positive statement until you convince yourself it is true. The positive belief needs to fit the experience and feel increasingly believable. Bilateral stimulation can be used while holding the target and the positive belief in mind so that the new perspective becomes more strongly associated with the experience.

Phase 6: Body Scan

EMDR pays attention not only to thoughts and emotions but also to physical sensations. During the body scan, you bring the target and the preferred positive belief to mind and notice whether you still notice any physical tension or discomfort.

You might notice tension, tightness, heaviness, or another sensation, or you may notice nothing uncomfortable at all. If a relevant sensation remains, it can become part of the continued processing. The body scan is a way of checking whether the target still seems to carry a physical response even after the emotional intensity has changed.

Phase 7: Closure

Closure gives the current period of EMDR work a clear stopping point. Reprocessing does not have to be fully complete every time the session or self-guided work period ends.

The focus shifts away from active memory processing and back toward the present. If the target is not finished, the work can be resumed later rather than forcing the process to continue simply because it has already started.

Closure is one reason the eight-phase structure matters. EMDR includes a deliberate way to end the work rather than treating bilateral stimulation as an isolated exercise with no beginning or ending process.

Phase 8: Reevaluation

Reevaluation checks what has changed since the previous work on a target. When you bring the experience to mind again, you can notice whether the distress remains lower, whether the preferred belief still feels appropriate, and whether anything new has emerged.

This phase helps determine what comes next. The same target may need more work, a related target may have become more relevant, or the focus may be ready to move elsewhere. Reevaluation therefore connects one period of EMDR work with the next rather than assuming that everything stays exactly as it was when the previous session ended.

Do All Eight Phases Happen in One Session?

No. The eight phases describe the overall EMDR process, not eight steps that must always be completed from beginning to end in a single sitting. Some phases can take more time than others, and several phases may occur during the same session.

For example, early work may spend more time on history, planning, and preparation. Once a target is selected, assessment, desensitization, installation, and body scan can follow as the work progresses. Closure occurs when the current work period ends, and reevaluation is used when returning to previously processed material.

The structure is therefore flexible in timing while still preserving the purpose of each phase.

How Do the Eight Phases Apply to Online and Self-Guided EMDR?

The eight-phase structure can be adapted across different EMDR formats, while the way guidance is delivered differs. In therapist-led EMDR, whether the session is in person or online, the therapist guides the process, helps select and assess targets, provides bilateral stimulation or instructions for it, and checks what is happening as the work progresses.

In a self-guided format such as Virtual EMDR, structured instructions and prompts guide you through the process without a therapist being present. The program can help you identify what you want to work on, prepare for the session, focus on a target, use bilateral stimulation, notice what comes up, and close the work in an organized way.

Why the Phases Are More Than a Checklist

It can be tempting to think of the eight phases as a sequence to complete as quickly as possible. That misses their purpose. The phases organize different jobs within EMDR. Planning identifies where the work is going. Preparation establishes how to approach it. Assessment creates a starting point. Reprocessing works with the selected material. Installation and body scan check how the target has changed. Closure ends the current work period, and reevaluation checks what remains when you return to it.

Thinking of the phases this way also explains why EMDR is more than bilateral stimulation. Eye movements, sounds, or taps are part of the method, but they take place within a broader structured process.

Conclusion

The eight phases of EMDR are history taking and treatment planning, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and reevaluation.

Together, they provide the structure for deciding what to work on, preparing for the process, reprocessing a selected target, noticing emotional and physical changes, ending the work appropriately, and checking what has changed afterward.

They do not mean EMDR requires exactly eight sessions or that every phase takes the same amount of time. The phases are a framework that helps organize the process from beginning to end.