How to Choose What to Focus on During EMDR

How to Choose What to Focus on During EMDR

Short Answer: Choosing what to focus on during EMDR involves identifying a specific memory, current trigger, thought, feeling, body sensation, or future concern you want to work on.

In EMDR, this starting point is often called a target. You do not need a complete or vivid memory to begin, and your focus can change from one session to another.

Key Takeaways

• An EMDR target can be a past event, a present trigger, an uncomfortable body sensation, or a future worry.
• You do not need to start with your most difficult memory or have every detail recalled.
• Your focus can be something from the past, something affecting you now, or a concern about the future.
• A useful focus is usually specific enough to bring a particular memory, thought, feeling, image, or sensation into attention.

What Is an EMDR Target?

When people talk about an EMDR target, they are referring to the specific focus chosen for a set or session. While many people associate EMDR with past memories, a target does not have to be a major past event.

The target gives the session a starting point. It helps narrow your attention to something specific enough to work with rather than trying to focus on an entire period of your life or every part of a difficult experience at once.

An EMDR focus can take different forms, including:

• A past memory or experience that still feels uncomfortable to think about.
• A current situation, interaction, or trigger that brings up an uncomfortable reaction.
• A thought or belief connected with what you're working on.
• A body sensation connected with what you're focusing on.
• A future situation or event that you feel anxious about facing.

The target does not have to stay exactly the same throughout a session. It is simply the point you begin with.

What becomes noticeable during the sets may shift as you continue.

How to Identify a Focus Area

You do not need to find a single, perfect target before starting EMDR. A useful starting point is often something specific enough that you can bring it to mind and notice what happens when you focus on it.

People often choose what to work on by looking at three broad areas:

• Past Events: A specific past experience that still carries emotional weight when you bring it to mind.
• Present Triggers: A recent situation, interaction, or recurring experience that brings up an uncomfortable reaction.
• Future Concerns: An upcoming event, task, or transition that brings up worry or self-doubt when you picture it.

If several possibilities come to mind, you do not need to solve the entire question at once. You can choose one focus area for the current session and return to another concern at a different time.

How Specific Does the Focus Need to Be?

A focus area does not need to be described in perfect detail, but it is usually more workable when it is specific enough to bring something definite into your attention.

For example, a broad topic such as "my childhood," "work stress," or "relationships" may contain many separate experiences.

Narrowing the focus to one memory, one situation, one thought, or one body sensation can give the session a clearer starting point.

Specific does not mean complete. You may only remember one image, one moment, or the general feeling connected to an experience. That can still provide a focus for the session.

Do You Need to Start with the Most Difficult Memory?

No. Choosing a target does not require you to search for the most upsetting or intense memory you can think of.

The goal is to identify something relevant to what you want to work on. That may be a major past event, but it could also be a smaller experience, a current trigger, or a thought that keeps coming up in a particular situation.

A focus does not need to be the most intense or significant memory you can identify. EMDR does not require you to rank your memories by severity before you begin.

What If You Do Not Have a Clear Memory?

If you're using EMDR for anxiety, stress, grief, depression, addiction-related concerns, or other difficult experiences, your focus does not necessarily need to be a past traumatic memory.

A current trigger, thought, feeling, or other specific concern can also provide a focus for a session.

You may not have a clear, vivid, or detailed memory of what you want to work on. You do not need to recall every detail of an event, and you should not force yourself to dig for forgotten details.

If a specific memory is vague or hard to pinpoint, you can focus on:

• How you feel right now when you think about a general topic.
• A body sensation connected with what you're focusing on.
• A thought or belief connected with the concern.
• A particular image or fragment that stands out even if the rest of the memory is unclear.

The focus is based on what is available to you now. EMDR does not require you to recover missing information before you can begin.

Can a Thought or Belief Be the Focus?

Yes. Sometimes the part of an experience that stands out most is not a detailed memory but a thought about yourself, another person, or what a situation means.

For example, a person might notice a thought such as "I am not good enough," "I cannot handle this," or "I am responsible."

The purpose is not to force the thought to change before the session begins. The thought can simply be part of what you notice when you bring the focus area to mind.

A belief can also be connected to a particular memory, trigger, emotion, or physical sensation. Those elements do not have to be separated perfectly before you begin.

Can a Body Sensation Be the Focus?

A body sensation can be part of the focus when it is connected to the concern you are working on. You might notice a physical sensation when thinking about a particular memory or situation.

The goal is not to search your body for a sensation you think should be there. If a physical sensation is noticeable and connected to the focus area, you can include it.

If you do not notice a particular body sensation, you do not need to create one.

Can a Current Trigger Be the Focus?

Yes. A present-day trigger can provide a useful starting point, especially when the reaction itself is clear even if the earlier experiences connected to it are not.

A trigger might be a particular interaction, place, task, reminder, or recurring situation. You can focus on what happens when you think about that trigger now, including any thought, emotion, image, or physical sensation that becomes noticeable.

You do not need to identify a single past event that explains the trigger before it can become a focus area.

Can a Future Situation Be the Focus?

A future situation can also become a focus area. You might think about an upcoming conversation, presentation, appointment, trip, or other event that brings up worry when you imagine it.

In this case, the focus is not on predicting what will happen. It is on the thoughts, images, feelings, or sensations that become noticeable when you picture the future situation.

Focusing on one specific future situation can give the session a clearer starting point.

What If Several Targets Seem Connected?

One concern can include several possible focus areas. A current trigger may remind you of a past experience. A belief may connect with more than one memory. A future worry may bring up the same emotion as something that happened earlier.

You do not need to combine everything into one target. You can begin with one specific area and notice what comes up during the session.

Another connected memory, thought, or concern may become more noticeable later.

The fact that several targets are related does not mean they all need to be addressed at once.

Can Your Focus Change During a Session?

Yes. You start with a chosen target, but your attention may shift during bilateral stimulation. Another thought, image, memory, emotion, or sensation may come to mind.

That does not automatically mean you have lost focus. The session begins with a clear starting point, and the check-ins between sets allow you to notice what is present now.

You do not need to force yourself back to the exact same image after every set if something else has become more relevant. At the same time, you also do not need to search deliberately for a new target just because the focus has not changed.

Can You Choose a Different Focus in Another Session?

Yes. The focus for one session does not have to become the focus for every future session.

You may return to the same target if it still feels relevant, or you may choose a different memory, trigger, thought, feeling, sensation, or future concern. The choice depends on what you want to work on at that point.

This is one reason there is no single sequence of targets that everyone needs to follow.

Common Misconceptions About Choosing an EMDR Focus

"You have to choose your worst memory first." You can begin with any relevant focus area. It does not have to be the most distressing experience you can remember.

"The memory has to be perfectly clear." A focus can begin with a partial image, a feeling, a thought, a body sensation, or another specific part of the experience.

"You need to know exactly why something bothers you." You can work with what is noticeable now without having a complete explanation for why the reaction is happening.

"Once you choose a target, you cannot change it." The focus can shift during a session, and you can choose a different focus in another session.

Conclusion

Choosing what to focus on during EMDR does not require finding the perfect memory or reliving past distress in detail.

Whether you choose a past event, a current trigger, a thought, a physical sensation, or a future concern, the focus simply gives the session a starting point.

A target can be specific enough to bring something meaningful into your attention without needing to be complete, vivid, or permanent.

Your focus can change as the session develops, and you can choose a different target in another session depending on what you want to work on.