Clinicians · English
Phase 1: history and treatment planning
Build a collaborative formulation before choosing targets. History taking is paced to the person; it is not a request for a detailed account of every traumatic experience.
EMDR clinical preparation center
Preparation is part of the work.
A practical place to understand the process, develop shared language, and prepare the next session.
Review draft: awaiting qualified clinical review. Original educational references for appropriately trained clinicians and shared discussion with clients. Not EMDR basic training, supervision, a protocol manual, individualized treatment, or emergency care. No endorsement or clinical validation of EMDRdot is implied.
The preparation center · Review draft
Prepare with clarity. Move at a considered pace.
Practical education, phase references, printable materials, and equipment checks.
Take the preparation guides with you
Review drafts with original references. No completed client information is included.
The eight phases, within reach
Use these high-level references alongside your training. Phases can be revisited; they are not eight compulsory steps in one appointment.
Find the right resource
30 resources · All await clinical review; Spanish also awaits translation review.
Clinicians · English
Phase 2: preparation and stabilization
Explain the treatment, establish shared control, and develop resources the client can actually use. Preparation may take several sessions and may be revisited.
Clients + Clinicians · English
Window of tolerance
A flexible way to talk about activation, connection, and the ability to stay engaged. It is a teaching metaphor, not a diagnostic test.
Clients + Clinicians · English
Calm or safe place
A therapist-guided resource that explores a tolerable sense of comfort, steadiness, or relative safety.
Clients + Clinicians · English
Container exercise
An optional imagery or symbolic exercise for setting material aside temporarily, with an explicit plan to return to it in therapy.
Clients + Clinicians · English
Grounding and present-moment orientation
Collaborative ways of noticing the present environment and the body’s contact with support.
Clients + Clinicians · English
Resource development and installation (RDI)
A clinician-guided approach to identifying and strengthening access to supportive qualities or experiences.
Clients + Clinicians · English
Pause signals and client control
Agree on a clear signal, practice using it, and make stopping feel ordinary.
Clients + Clinicians · English
Readiness discussion
A collaborative review of present needs, capacities, and supports before changing the pace of treatment.
Clients + Clinicians · English
Between-session support and aftercare
Make an individualized plan for the time after sessions, including how to seek support.
Clinicians · English
Phase 3: Assessment
Establish a shared target assessment according to the clinician’s training.
Clinicians · English
Phase 4: Desensitization
Support reprocessing while maintaining clinical monitoring and client choice.
Clinicians · English
Phase 5: Installation
Strengthen the connection between the target and an appropriate adaptive cognition when clinically indicated.
Clinicians · English
Phase 6: Body scan
Attend to residual bodily disturbance associated with the target and adaptive cognition.
Clinicians · English
Phase 7: Closure
End each session with attention to orientation, present needs, and support, including when processing is incomplete.
Clinicians · English
Phase 8: Reevaluation
Review the previous session and current needs before deciding what to do next.
Clients + Clinicians · English
Understanding SUD and VOC
SUD and VOC answer different questions. Neither is a diagnostic test, a readiness score, or a grade.
Clients + Clinicians · English
Telehealth preparation
Prepare the clinical plan, the environment, and the connection before remote work. EMDRdot supplies stimulation tools, not a complete clinical telehealth service.
Clinicians · English
Informed consent discussion checklist
Consent is a continuing conversation about the proposed treatment, available choices, and client control.
Clinicians · English
Target preparation and planning worksheet
A blank planning aid for a protected practice record, not a form for entering clinical information into the resource library.
Clients · English
Your preparation conversation roadmap
Use this roadmap to plan questions, supports, and your next conversation with a therapist. Start with the existing Getting Started with EMDR guide for the general introduction.
Clients · English
Preparing for your first appointment
You do not need to arrive ready to describe every detail of what happened. The first appointment often focuses on your concerns, history, goals, and choices.
Clients · English
The eight phases in everyday language
The phases describe a treatment framework, not eight steps that must all happen in one appointment.
Clients · English
When processing is unfinished
A session may end while a target still feels disturbing. That does not automatically mean treatment failed or that you must keep working alone.
Clients · Español
Primeros pasos con EMDR
EMDR es una psicoterapia estructurada. Incluye conocer su historia, prepararse, evaluar objetivos, trabajar con recuerdos cuando corresponda y revisar lo ocurrido. Seguir un punto en una pantalla no equivale a recibir EMDR.
Clients · Español
Cómo prepararse para la primera cita
No necesita contar todos los detalles de lo que vivió en la primera cita. Pueden empezar por sus necesidades, su historia y lo que espera cambiar.
Clients · Español
Cómo entender las escalas SUD y VOC
Las escalas preguntan cosas distintas. No son un examen ni una calificación.
Clients · Español
Preparación para EMDR por videollamada
Prepare un espacio privado y un plan con su terapeuta para las interrupciones o fallas de conexión.
Clients · Español
Orientación al presente y estabilización
Con su terapeuta, explore formas tolerables de conectarse con el lugar y el momento presentes.
Clients · Español
Después de la sesión y entre citas
Puede notar cambios en sus emociones, cansancio o sueños, o puede no notar nada diferente. No todas las dificultades significan que el tratamiento esté funcionando.