The Eight Phases of EMDR Therapy

EMDR therapy is often thought of as “those eye movements used to process a traumatic memory.” While that’s part of it, EMDR is actually a structured, eight-phase approach designed to help you safely process difficult experiences.

Image by Wirestock on freepik.com

As an EMDR therapist in private practice in the UK, I guide you through each phase at your own pace. We may move back and forth between phases depending on your needs.

If you’re considering EMDR therapy for PTSD, trauma, anxiety, or distressing past experiences, here’s what you can expect:

Phases 1–3: Understanding and Preparing

These early phases focus on understanding your difficulties, building coping skills, and identifying the memories we’ll work on.

1. History and Treatment Planning

We’ll explore what has brought you to therapy and how EMDR can help. Together, we’ll create a personalised treatment plan, identifying key memories and current triggers.

We’ll also look at how past experiences may still be affecting you now, such as making you feel anxious, low, or triggering flashbacks or nightmares. We’ll identify your internal and external resources that will support you throughout our sessions.

2. Preparation

I’ll explain how EMDR therapy works and answer any questions you may have.

You’ll also learn techniques to help you manage emotional distress, both during and between sessions. This ensures you feel safe, supported, and in control throughout the process.

3. Assessment

We’ll identify a specific memory to work on (known as a “target”).

You’ll briefly focus on the images, beliefs, emotions, and body sensations linked to that memory, and we’ll measure how distressing it feels.

Phases 4–6: Reprocessing the Memory

These are the core phases of EMDR therapy. They involve bilateral stimulation (BLS), usually eye movements, tapping, or sounds, which helps your brain process the memory while staying grounded in the present.

4. Desensitisation

While focusing on the memory, you’ll follow the bilateral stimulation – side to side eye movements, taps, or sounds.

Over time, the distress linked to the memory reduces. New thoughts, feelings, or insights may naturally emerge as your brain processes the experience.

5. Installation

Once the distress has reduced, we strengthen a positive belief (e.g., “I am safe now” or “I am in control”).

This belief becomes more deeply felt and connected to the memory.

6. Body Scan

You’ll scan down from head to feet to notice any remaining tension or discomfort in your body.

If anything is still present, we continue processing until your body feels calm and settled.

Phases 7–8: Ending and Reviewing

These final phases help you feel stable after each session and at the beginning of the subsequent session.

7. Closure

Every session ends with grounding and stabilisation.

Whether or not we’ve fully processed a memory, I’ll help you return to a calm, present-focused state before you leave.

8. Re-evaluation

At the start of your next session, we’ll review your progress and check in on the old memory.

We check whether the distress remains low and that positive beliefs still feel true, or whether there is still some distress linked to the memory that needs work. From there, we decide whether to continue processing or move on to new targets.

A Collaborative and Personalised Approach

EMDR therapy can feel complex at first, but I will be there to guide you step by step in a collaborative, supportive way.

The goal is to help you process painful experiences so they no longer feel overwhelming, and can truly remain in the past where they belong.

Book a Free Introductory Call

If you’re looking for EMDR therapy in the UK (in-person or online), I offer a free introductory call to explore whether this approach is right for you.

Get in touch to arrange a time, we can talk through your needs and how EMDR could help.