Tag:
What Is the SUD Scale in EMDR?
Short Answer: The SUD scale in EMDR is a simple 0-to-10 rating used to describe how disturbing a memory, thought, image, or other focus feels to you right now. SUD stands for Subjective Units of Disturbance. A rating of 0 means no disturbance or neutral, while 10 means the highest level of disturbance you can imagine. The number is personal to you—there is no right or wrong answer.
Key Takeaways
- SUD stands for Subjective Units of Disturbance.
- The scale usually runs from 0 to 10.
- 0 means no disturbance or neutral, while 10 means the highest disturbance you can imagine.
- The rating describes how something feels right now, not how upsetting it was when it originally happened.
- There is no “correct” SUD number.
- EMDR may check the SUD rating more than once to see whether the way a memory feels has changed.
- The number is a useful check-in, not a test or a grade.
What Does SUD Mean in EMDR?
SUD stands for Subjective Units of Disturbance.
Despite the formal-sounding name, the idea is very simple. You give a number from 0 to 10 to describe how disturbing something feels to you in the present moment.
For example, if you bring a difficult memory to mind and it barely bothers you now, your SUD rating might be a 1 or 2.
If the memory still feels much more upsetting, you might choose a higher number.
The important word is subjective. The rating comes from your own experience. It is not based on what another person thinks the memory ought to feel like.
How Does the 0-to-10 SUD Scale Work?
The basic scale is:
- 0: No disturbance or neutral
- 1–3: A relatively low level of disturbance
- 4–6: A more noticeable level of disturbance
- 7–9: A stronger level of disturbance
- 10: The highest disturbance you can imagine
The numbers between 0 and 10 do not need exact definitions.
A 4 for one person does not necessarily feel exactly like a 4 for someone else. The scale is meant to help you describe your own experience.
That is why it is usually better not to spend too much time trying to choose the perfect number.
If a 5 seems about right, 5 is a useful answer.
What Are You Rating?
In EMDR, the SUD number is usually connected to whatever you are focusing on at that point in the process.
That might be:
- A particular memory
- An image from the memory
- A thought connected with what happened
- An emotion that comes up when you think about it
- The overall disturbance you notice when bringing the target to mind
The question is not necessarily:
“How bad was this experience when it happened?”
Instead, the focus is closer to:
“How disturbing does this feel to me now?”
That distinction can matter.
A memory may have been extremely difficult when it happened but feel much less disturbing today. Your SUD rating is meant to reflect your current reaction rather than automatically giving the past experience a high score.
Why Does EMDR Use the SUD Scale?
The SUD scale gives you a simple way to notice whether your response to the target changes during EMDR.
At the beginning of work with a particular target, you may give it one number. Later, you may be asked to check the same target again.
If the number has changed, that provides a quick way of describing the difference.
For example:
You might begin with a memory that feels like a 7.
After working with it, you bring the memory to mind again and notice that it now feels more like a 4.
Later, it might feel like a 2.
The SUD rating does not explain everything that has changed, but it gives you an easy reference point.
You do not have to analyze every thought or emotion in detail to use it.
Is a SUD Rating a Test?
No.
There is no passing or failing score.
You are not trying to guess the number that EMDR expects you to give.
A SUD rating is simply a way of describing your own experience at that moment.
If something feels like a 6, say 6.
If it feels like a 2, say 2.
If it feels completely neutral, 0 may fit.
There is no advantage to choosing a lower number just because you think you are supposed to be making progress.
Likewise, choosing a higher number does not mean you are doing anything incorrectly.
The scale is most useful when the number reflects what you actually notice.
How Do You Choose a SUD Number?
For most people, the simplest approach works best.
Bring the target to mind, notice how it feels now, and choose the number that seems closest.
You do not need to calculate it.
You do not need to compare it with another person's experience.
And you do not need to spend several minutes deciding whether something is really a 5 or a 6.
The difference between those two numbers is less important than giving an honest estimate of your current experience.
If you are unsure, your first reasonable estimate is usually enough for the scale to do its job.
Can Your SUD Rating Change During an EMDR Session?
Yes.
In fact, checking for change is one of the reasons the scale is used.
Because the SUD score describes how something feels in the present moment, the number may be different when you check it again later.
Sometimes the change is noticeable.
Other times it is smaller.
You may also notice that the memory feels different even when the number has not changed very much.
For example, the same rating might now feel less sharp, less immediate, or simply different in a way that is hard to describe with a single number.
The SUD scale is useful, but it is still only one way of checking in with your experience.
Does the SUD Number Always Go Down?
A decreasing SUD rating is commonly used as one sign that the disturbance connected with a target has reduced.
But you do not need to watch the number constantly or try to force it downward.
EMDR is not a competition to reach zero as quickly as possible.
The purpose of asking for the rating is to notice what is happening, not to pressure yourself into producing a particular score.
Because the rating reflects the present moment, it may also vary as your attention shifts or as different parts of an experience come to mind.
The useful question remains simple:
How disturbing does this feel right now?
Does a SUD Rating Have to Reach Zero?
In standard EMDR, work with a target commonly continues toward a SUD rating of 0, or as low as seems possible for that particular situation.
But zero is not something you need to manufacture.
A memory can still be important, sad, frustrating, or meaningful without necessarily carrying the same level of disturbance it once did.
For example, remembering the loss of someone important might still naturally bring some sadness. The goal is not necessarily to make every meaningful experience emotionally blank.
The SUD rating helps describe disturbance. It is not a requirement that every memory become meaningless or emotionless.
What If You Cannot Decide on a Number?
That is usually not a problem.
Some people immediately know their number. Others need a moment.
You might think:
“Maybe it's a 3 or a 4.”
Choosing either one is generally enough to continue the check-in.
The scale is not precise in the way a thermometer or blood-pressure reading is precise. It is a personal estimate.
You may also find the scale easier to use after you have done it a few times.
The important thing is not mathematical accuracy. It is noticing your own response.
Is SUD the Same as VOC?
No. They measure different things.
You may see both terms when learning about EMDR.
SUD measures how disturbing a target feels, usually on a scale from 0 to 10.
VOC, or Validity of Cognition, is used to rate how true a positive belief feels in relation to the target. It normally uses a different scale.
A simple way to remember the difference is:
- SUD: “How disturbing does this feel?”
- VOC: “How true does this positive belief feel?”
They are separate check-ins used for different purposes.
How the SUD Scale Fits Into Self-Guided EMDR
The idea behind the SUD scale is particularly straightforward in a self-guided setting because it does not require another person to decide how you are feeling.
You are simply checking in with yourself.
If the structured EMDR program you are using asks you for a disturbance rating, you can respond based on what you notice at that moment.
There is no need to choose the number you think the program “wants.”
If your number changes later, you can record the new number.
If it does not change much yet, you can simply report that too.
The rating is there to help track your experience, not judge it.
Why “Subjective” Is Important
Two people could think about experiences that seem very similar from the outside and give completely different SUD ratings.
One might say 3.
Another might say 8.
Neither person is wrong.
People react differently to memories based on their experiences, associations, beliefs, and what the memory means to them.
People using EMDR for stress may also notice that the same experience can feel more or less disturbing at different times.
Even your own rating of the same memory can change over time.
That is exactly why the scale is called subjective.
It measures your experience rather than trying to assign an objective score to the memory itself.
Conclusion
The SUD scale is one of the simplest parts of EMDR.
It is a 0-to-10 check-in that answers one basic question:
How disturbing does this feel to me right now?
There is no correct number, and there is no need to overthink your answer. The scale simply gives you a way to describe your current experience and notice whether that experience changes as you move through the EMDR process.
A lower number can indicate that the target feels less disturbing, but the SUD scale is not a grade, a competition, or something you need to force. It is simply a practical way to notice where you are.
View Comments