What Should You Do if a New Memory Comes Up After EMDR?

What Should You Do if a New Memory Comes Up After EMDR?

Short Answer: If a new memory comes up after Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), you usually do not need to immediately analyze it or start processing it on your own. Notice what came to mind, briefly write it down if you want to remember it, and then return to your normal activities. Memories and associations can sometimes emerge between EMDR sessions as information processing continues. If you are doing therapist-guided EMDR, you can mention the memory during your next session so you and your therapist can decide whether it is relevant to the current target or something to address later.

Key Takeaways

• A related or previously unconsidered memory can sometimes come to mind after EMDR.
• You do not have to immediately process every new memory that appears.
• A short note can help you remember it without spending the rest of the day analyzing it.
• A new memory may or may not become a future EMDR target.
• You can usually return to normal activities and let between-session changes unfold naturally.
• Newly recalled memories should not automatically be treated as perfectly complete or unquestionably accurate.
• In therapist-guided EMDR, new material can be reviewed during the next reevaluation.
• With self-guided EMDR, you can notice the memory without feeling that you need to begin another session immediately.

Why Might Another Memory Come Up After EMDR?

EMDR works with memories, beliefs, emotions, body sensations, and the associations connected with them.

During processing, one experience may connect with another.

For example, while working on one upsetting event, you may suddenly remember:

• An earlier experience with a similar feeling
• Another situation involving the same person
• A moment that seems connected to the same belief
• Something you had not thought about in a long time

These kinds of associations can occur during a session or later.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs notes that new information processing may continue between EMDR sessions, while EMDR International Association guidance specifically prepares clients for thoughts, memories, dreams, and other material that may arise afterward.

Do You Need to Do Anything Immediately?

Usually, no.

A simple response may be enough:

“That memory came up. I can remember it for later.”

You do not need to stop whatever you are doing and begin examining every detail.

You also do not need to intentionally replay the memory.

EMDR between-session guidance generally encourages allowing processing to continue naturally while going about normal daily life.

Should You Write the Memory Down?

You can if that helps.

EMDR International Association guidance recommends keeping a brief record of thoughts, dreams, situations, and memories that arise between sessions so they can be reviewed later.

The note does not have to be detailed.

You might write:

• “Remembered argument from college.”
• “Another childhood memory came up.”
• “Thought about the same feeling happening at work.”
• “Memory involving my father seemed connected.”

The goal is simply to keep a reminder.

You do not have to write out the entire memory.

Do You Need to Figure Out Why It Came Up?

No.

Sometimes the connection is obvious.

You may immediately think:

“That memory has the same feeling as the one I processed.”

Other times, you may have no idea why it appeared.

You do not need to force an explanation.

The relationship between memories can become clearer later, or the memory may turn out not to be especially important.

Letting the material emerge without immediately interpreting it can be simpler than trying to solve it on the spot.

Does the New Memory Automatically Become Another EMDR Target?

No.

A memory coming to mind does not automatically mean it needs a separate EMDR session.

In therapist-guided EMDR, the next session includes reevaluation of what happened after the previous processing work. The therapist and client can decide whether to continue with the same target, work with related material, or move in another direction.

Some new memories may become useful targets.

Others may simply be associations that appeared as your understanding of the original experience changed.

What If the Memory Seems Closely Connected to the Original Target?

Make a note of the connection if you want to remember it.

For example:

“This seems connected because I felt powerless in both situations.”

or:

“This memory involves the same belief that I am responsible for everything.”

EMDR processing often includes new insights and associations related to a target.

You still do not need to continue processing the new memory on your own immediately.

It can be reviewed later.

What If the Memory Feels Unrelated?

That can happen too.

A memory may appear without an obvious connection.

You can simply note:

“I remembered this after the session, but I do not know whether it is related.”

There is no requirement that every memory make sense right away.

If it remains important, it can be revisited later.

If it fades from your attention and does not seem relevant, that may be useful information too.

What If You Had Not Thought About the Memory in Years?

People can spontaneously remember experiences they have not thought about for a long time.

The American Psychological Association notes that memories can sometimes be triggered by cues after long periods without being actively recalled.

That does not automatically make the experience unusual.

You may simply notice:

“I had not thought about that in years.”

Again, you do not need to immediately determine why it returned.

Does a Newly Remembered Event Mean the Memory Is Definitely Accurate?

Not necessarily.

This is an important distinction.

Human memory is not a perfect recording of the past. Details can be incomplete, altered, or uncertain, and confidence in a memory does not by itself prove that every detail is accurate.

The American Psychological Association recommends taking a neutral approach to newly recovered memories rather than automatically assuming that they are either completely true or completely false without additional evidence.

So if something unexpected comes to mind, it may be most accurate to say:

“This is what I remember right now.”

You do not have to immediately decide exactly what happened.

Does That Mean You Should Distrust Every Memory?

No.

The point is not to doubt everything you remember.

It is simply to avoid treating a newly recalled memory as more certain than the available information supports.

You can take the experience seriously while still allowing uncertainty about specific details.

That approach is especially useful if the memory is surprising or involves something you had not previously remembered.

If you are working through childhood trauma, you can discuss what you remember and any uncertainty about the details with your therapist.

Should You Try to Recover More Details?

Usually, there is no need to deliberately search for more.

Avoid repeatedly asking yourself questions such as:

“What else happened?”

“What am I forgetting?”

“Can I force myself to remember more?”

Instead, let any additional information come up naturally.

The American Psychological Association recommends that therapy involving uncertain recovered memories remain neutral and not steer the person toward a predetermined interpretation.

What If the Memory Is Uncomfortable?

You can pause and reconnect with the present.

You might:

• Look around the room
• Notice your feet on the floor
• Take a few slower breaths
• Focus on an ordinary task
• Use a grounding strategy you already know

EMDR's closure phase is intended to shift attention away from active memory processing and back toward the present, while preparing people for material that may arise between sessions.

You do not need to resolve the memory immediately.

Should You Contact Your Therapist Right Away?

Not necessarily.

If the memory simply appeared and you feel able to continue your normal day, you can usually write it down and bring it to the next appointment.

EMDR itself does not generally require homework between sessions.

You do not need to treat every new memory as an urgent development.

What Happens at the Next EMDR Session?

The next therapist-guided session normally begins with reevaluation.

You may discuss:

• How the previous target feels now
• What changed afterward
• New thoughts
• New memories
• New body sensations
• New connections

The therapist and client can then decide what makes sense to address next.

A new memory may become part of the existing target network, a future target, or simply something worth noting.

What If More Than One Memory Comes Up?

You do not need to process them all at once.

You can make a short list if that helps.

For example:

• School memory
• Conversation with parent
• First job
• Similar feeling during breakup

That gives you something to refer back to without requiring you to sort everything out immediately.

EMDR treatment is structured, and target selection can happen over time rather than every memory needing immediate attention.

Should You Continue Your Normal Day?

Usually, yes.

Veterans Affairs guidance specifically says that between-session processing can continue while people generally go about their daily lives as usual.

You can:

• Work
• Exercise
• Rest
• Spend time with family
• Run errands
• Continue your routine

You do not need to remain focused on the memory for processing to continue.

What If the Memory Keeps Coming Back?

If it repeatedly comes to mind, that may be useful information to note.

You might write:

“This memory came up several times after the session.”

Then continue using ordinary grounding or present-focused activities rather than repeatedly trying to process it yourself.

If you are working with a therapist, the pattern can be discussed during reevaluation.

What About Online Therapist-Guided EMDR?

The same principles apply.

Because online EMDR ends while you are already in your own environment, you may notice another memory after the video session closes.

You can briefly record it, use grounding if helpful, and bring it into the next session.

You do not have to reopen the memory work simply because you are still sitting in the same place where you did EMDR.

What About Self-Guided EMDR?

A new memory may also come up after Virtual EMDR, the structured self-guided online program.

Virtual EMDR users choose their session timing and manage their own pacing, pauses, and available visual or audio bilateral stimulation settings.

If another memory appears afterward, a practical approach is:

• Notice it.
• Write a short reminder if useful.
• Do not feel obligated to immediately begin another session.
• Return to your normal day.
• Revisit the memory later if it continues to feel relevant.

Self-guided flexibility does not mean every new memory needs immediate processing.

Conclusion

A new memory can sometimes come up after EMDR because thoughts, memories, associations, and other information may continue developing between sessions.

You usually do not need to do anything complicated with it.

Notice the memory. Write down a short reminder if you want to remember it. Then return to your normal day.

If you are doing therapist-guided EMDR, you can bring it into the next reevaluation and decide whether it is relevant to further processing.

And if the memory is new or unexpected, remember that recalling something does not automatically establish every detail as certain. It is reasonable to stay curious without rushing to a conclusion.

The goal is not to chase every memory that appears.

It is to notice what comes up, give important material a place to be reviewed later, and allow the EMDR process to unfold without turning every new memory into an immediate task.