In the first stage, the therapist and the patient talk about the patient's history and plan out what it is the patient needs to be treated for. The memories that are associated with the patient's problem are what they will focus on while EMDR is performed on them. During the second stage the therapist prepares the patient for the process. The therapist has to make sure the patient has adequate coping skills, can handle emotional distress, and is in a stable state. During this stage the therapist can also provide the patient with any skills that may be need during the process, such as stress reducing techniques. It is important that the patient be able to handle the strong emotions that may come from EMDR or the process may not help the patient.
In stage three the patient is told to identify one specific target and focus on the most vivid images associated with that memory. At this point the eye movements or external stimulation is started, and this is stage four. Along with focusing on the images, the patient is also told to focus on the negative beliefs about self, related emotions, and body sensations that occur during the process. This stage can be repeated several times, until the patient no longer has any negative emotions attached to the memory. At this point stage five begins. The therapist asks the patient to associate a preferred positive belief that is determined at the beginning of the session with the memory. After several sets the patient will most likely report stronger confidence in the positive belief associated with the memory. In stage 6 a body scan is performed. Here the therapists checks with the patient regarding body sensations. If any negative sensations emerge, they are processed as above, and any positive sensations are further enhanced. .
Stage seven brings the session to an end or closure. Many times a therapist will ask the patient to keep a journal to document how they feel after the session and any related material that may arise between the current session and the next session.
