Clients · Getting Started · 3 min
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.
Awaiting qualified clinical review. Educational reference; not a protocol, formal training, supervision, or individualized treatment.
Why this matters
An organized discussion helps connect the information you read with the choices and supports that matter in your own treatment.
Client-facing explanation
Ask your therapist how the eight-phase approach applies to your concerns, what preparation will involve, and how you will decide together when to take the next step. The moving-dot tool alone is not EMDR therapy.
Clinician reference
Use this guide for shared discussion, adapting language and pacing to the person’s needs.
General sequence and discussion checklist
Optional discussion aid. Selections clear when you leave; this does not assess clinical readiness.
Practical example / documentation consideration
Conversation starter: “What would you like me to know before we choose the next step?”
References and evidence notes
These sources inform the framework and discussion. They do not independently validate these original exercises or establish that every preparation technique is necessary or effective for every client.
- EMDRIA: Experiencing EMDR Therapy
Client orientation and eight-phase overview.
- VA National Center for PTSD: EMDR for PTSD
Patient education on an evidence-based PTSD treatment; outcomes vary.
- Landin-Romero et al. (2018). Systematic review of suggested mechanisms. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1395.
Proposed mechanisms remain under investigation; not proof of a single brain pathway.
