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What Is Re-Evaluation in EMDR?
Short Answer: Re-evaluation is the eighth phase of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). It usually happens when you return to EMDR after working on a target in an earlier session. You check how that target feels now, whether the distress has changed, whether the positive belief still feels true, and whether anything new has come up since the previous session. Based on what you notice, you can continue with the same target, work on another part of it, or move on to something else.
Key Takeaways
- Re-evaluation is Phase 8 of the standard eight-phase EMDR process.
- It usually happens when you return to EMDR after a previous session.
- You check how the earlier target feels now rather than assuming it feels exactly as it did when the session ended.
- You may notice changes in distress, thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, or the positive belief connected with the target.
- Re-evaluation helps determine whether you want to continue with the same target or move on.
- A target can feel different when you return to it, even if you have not deliberately thought about it between sessions.
- Re-evaluation can be part of both therapist-guided and structured self-guided EMDR.
Where Does Re-Evaluation Fit Into EMDR?
EMDR is commonly described as an eight-phase process:
- History Taking and Treatment Planning
- Preparation
- Assessment
- Desensitization
- Installation
- Body Scan
- Closure
- Re-evaluation
Re-evaluation is Phase 8.
Although it is listed as the final phase, it often connects one EMDR session with the next.
At the end of one session, you complete closure. When you return to the target later, re-evaluation helps you see where things stand before deciding what to work on next.
What Happens During Re-Evaluation?
You bring the previous target back to mind and notice your current response.
You might consider:
- How distressing the target feels now
- What thoughts come up with it
- What emotions you notice
- Whether there are any physical sensations connected with it
- How believable the preferred positive belief feels
- Whether another part of the memory now stands out
- Whether anything related came up between sessions
You are essentially asking: How does this feel now?
The answer helps guide what happens next.
Why Check the Target Again?
Your response to a target at the beginning of a new session may not be exactly the same as it was at the end of the previous one.
That is why EMDR includes re-evaluation rather than simply assuming that the earlier session ended exactly where the next one should begin.
The target may still feel much the same.
It may feel less noticeable.
A different part of the experience may now stand out.
Or the original target may no longer feel like something you want to continue working on.
Re-evaluation gives you a current starting point.
Re-evaluation can also be useful when you are working on experiences connected with anxiety, because your reaction to the same target may feel different from one session to the next.
Do You Use the Distress Rating Again?
You may.
During EMDR, distress connected with a target is commonly tracked using the Subjective Units of Disturbance (SUD) scale.
The scale usually runs from 0 to 10, with 0 meaning no distress and 10 representing the highest level of distress you can imagine for that target.
During re-evaluation, you can bring the target to mind and notice what number seems to fit now.
This can help you compare your current response with your response during the previous session.
The number is simply a way of describing how the target feels to you. It is not a score you need to achieve.
Do You Check the Positive Belief Again?
You can also check the positive belief that was connected with the target.
EMDR commonly uses the Validity of Cognition (VOC) scale to describe how true a preferred positive belief feels.
The scale typically runs from 1 to 7, with 1 meaning the belief feels completely false and 7 meaning it feels completely true.
For example, perhaps you worked with the belief:
“I can handle this now.”
During re-evaluation, you can bring the target back to mind and notice whether that statement still feels fitting and believable.
The positive belief may feel the same, stronger, weaker, or simply different from how it felt before.
What If the Target Still Bothers You?
You can continue working with it.
A target does not have to be completely processed in a single session.
If you return to the memory and notice that it still brings up distress, another part of the experience may need more attention.
You may continue with the same target and return to the processing phases of EMDR.
Re-evaluation is not a judgment about whether the earlier session worked. It is simply a way of determining where you are now.
What If the Target Feels Different?
That is useful information.
You might notice that the memory feels more distant than it did before.
A thought that once seemed important may no longer stand out.
A negative belief may feel less convincing.
Or you may simply find that the target does not bother you as much when you think about it.
You do not need to recreate your previous response in order to continue.
Re-evaluation is about your current experience.
What If a Different Part of the Memory Stands Out?
Sometimes the original target may feel different, but another part of the experience now catches your attention.
For example, perhaps you originally focused on one moment during an argument.
When you return to the memory, that moment may feel less important, while something that happened immediately afterward now stands out.
You can notice that change.
The newly noticeable part may become the next focus if you want to work on it.
What If Another Memory Came Up Between Sessions?
You may notice another memory, thought, dream, or connection after an EMDR session.
If something seems relevant when you return to EMDR, you can include it in your re-evaluation.
You do not have to assume that every new thought or memory needs to become a new target.
Instead, you can notice whether it still seems connected or important when you begin the next session.
If it does, you can decide whether you want to work with it.
What If Nothing Happened Between Sessions?
That is also fine.
You do not need to have new dreams, memories, thoughts, or emotional changes between EMDR sessions.
Re-evaluation does not depend on something happening after the previous session.
You simply bring the target back to mind and notice how it feels now.
For some people, the change may be noticeable.
For others, the target may feel much as it did before.
Both give you useful information about where to begin.
Does Re-Evaluation Mean Starting EMDR Over Again?
No.
You are not restarting the entire eight-phase process from the beginning every time you re-evaluate a target.
Instead, you are checking where the previous work stands.
Depending on what you notice, you may return to desensitization, strengthen a positive belief, work with another part of the target, or move to another focus.
The phases provide structure, but EMDR does not require every new session to begin again at Phase 1.
Is Re-Evaluation the Same as Assessment?
They are related, but they serve different purposes.
Assessment is Phase 3. It helps establish a target before the main processing begins. You identify aspects such as the target image, negative belief, preferred positive belief, emotions, physical sensations, and distress.
Re-evaluation is Phase 8. It checks a target that has already been worked on to see how it feels now.
Assessment helps establish the starting point.
Re-evaluation helps determine what has changed and what you want to do next.
Does Re-Evaluation Require Bilateral Stimulation?
The initial re-evaluation itself is primarily a check-in.
You bring the target to mind and notice your current response.
If the re-evaluation shows that you want to continue processing the target, you can then return to the appropriate EMDR processing steps, which may include bilateral stimulation.
So the purpose of re-evaluation is not simply to complete another set of eye movements, sounds, or tapping. It is to determine where the target stands before deciding what comes next.
How Long Does Re-Evaluation Take?
There is no fixed amount of time.
If the previous target now feels settled and there is little else to work on, the check-in may be brief.
If another part of the target stands out or you decide to continue working with it, the re-evaluation may lead into more processing.
The important part is getting an updated sense of the target rather than spending a particular number of minutes on the phase.
Re-Evaluation in Therapist-Guided EMDR
In therapist-guided EMDR, the therapist may ask how the previous target feels when you think about it now.
They may ask about your current distress level, the positive belief, physical sensations, or anything you noticed since the previous session.
Your responses help determine whether to continue with the same target or shift the focus.
The therapist guides the check-in, but the information comes from what you notice in the present.
Re-Evaluation in Self-Guided EMDR
In a structured self-guided EMDR process, you can perform the same type of check-in yourself.
When you return to a previous target, you notice how it feels now rather than simply continuing from where you remember leaving off.
You can check the distress connected with the target, the thoughts and feelings that come up, and whether your preferred positive belief still fits.
Based on that information, you can decide whether to continue with the target or move to another focus.
How Re-Evaluation Works With Virtual EMDR
Virtual EMDR is a structured, self-guided online EMDR program.
When you return to a target you have worked on before, re-evaluation helps you check how it feels now and determine what you want to work on next.
Because Virtual EMDR is self-guided, you complete this check-in independently rather than having a therapist ask the questions in real time.
The purpose remains the same: look at the target as it feels today rather than assuming it has stayed exactly as it was during the previous session.
Conclusion
Re-evaluation is the part of EMDR where you return to previous work and check how it feels now.
You bring the target back to mind, notice your current thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, distress level, and positive belief, and use that information to decide what comes next.
You may continue with the same target, focus on another part of it, or move on to something else.
Whether EMDR is therapist-guided or done through a structured self-guided program such as Virtual EMDR, re-evaluation serves the same basic purpose: to begin from how the target feels now, rather than assuming it feels exactly as it did before.
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