Phase 1 of EMDR
Welp - I do be feeling like it’s a good time to start to make blog posts about the individual phases of EMDR.
A reminder: I don’t approach the 8 phases as chronological in my practice and leave it up to the client to determine what phase they want to tackle in any given session or day. BUT in order for that to happen it is important to have a basic understanding of what the phases and the options are! SO without further ado here is an in depth breakdown of what the 8 phases are starting with phase 1.
Phase 1 involves history taking which is different that just reliving or recounting the traumatic events. It is identifying the impact the events had on you. One example might be : I wasn’t allowed to show emotions growing up and therefore have trouble showing emotions or being vulnerable now. Phase one can also be basic psychoeducation on how trauma impacts us and the brain. This also can be open conversations around your understanding of trauma if one has questions about it or myths to dispel.
Phase 1 can also be an initial self assessment of the things you have going for you both internally and externally. Internal strengths could be any nervous system reset techniques - such as breathing, intense exercise, taking a shower, tightening muscles and relaxing muscles. This TRULY looks different for everyone and may take some trial and error to figure out what works for you and what works for you in one moment may not work in the next, but it’s about TRYING. This may even look like setting a reminder or assessing at the end of the day what worked and what didn’t. Most people don’t have this ability to track and correct when they’re in a nervous system flare up and it’s something that is practiced IMHO. Externally, who is in your corner? Your boss? What is in your corner and what is going for you?
Phase 1 can be assessing your goals for EMDR. What in your life are you hoping to have shift as a result of reprocessing?
These are some ideas for what phase one could look like. I really like to get to know my clients and know who is i in their corner in their life and understand their day to day stressors which can all be a part of phase one. Truly typical “talk therapy” is a combination of phase one and phase two. Many people live in phase one and phase two during the majority of their therapy and that is ALSO TOTALLY OK in my practice.
Stay tuned for phase 2. :)
