Eight-Phase EMDR Protocol Flashcards

During Phase 2 (Preparation), what is the primary purpose of establishing a 'safe place' or 'calm place' exercise?

Answer: To provide a resource the client can access if they become overwhelmed during processing

The safe/calm place is a stabilization resource clients can use to self-regulate if distress becomes unmanageable during EMDR sessions.

In Phase 3 (Assessment), the Validity of Cognition (VoC) scale measures:

Answer: How true the positive cognition feels on a scale of 1–7

The VoC rates how true the positive cognition feels to the client, from 1 (completely false) to 7 (completely true).

Which of the following best describes the 'float-back' or 'affect bridge' technique used during Phase 3 targeting?

Answer: A method of connecting a current disturbing belief to its earlier memory origins

The float-back technique helps identify the earliest memory linked to a current negative cognition by following the affect or body sensation back in time.

A client's SUD level drops from 7 to 3 but stops decreasing after several sets of BLS. This is called:

Answer: A blocked processing response or looping

When SUD stalls and processing appears stuck, this is referred to as blocked processing or looping, requiring the therapist to use cognitive interweaves or other strategies.

Phase 5 (Installation) begins when the client's SUD level reaches:

Answer: 1 or 0

Installation of the positive cognition typically begins when the SUD level is 0 or 1, indicating the traumatic memory has been sufficiently desensitized.

During Phase 6 (Body Scan), the therapist asks the client to hold both the target memory and the positive cognition together and then:

Answer: Notice any residual tension or sensation in their body

The body scan checks for any residual somatic disturbance that may indicate incomplete processing of the trauma.

Which phase of EMDR specifically involves psychoeducation about the trauma response and the model's information-processing theory?

Answer: Phase 2 (Preparation)

Phase 2 includes educating clients about how trauma affects memory and how EMDR's adaptive information processing model explains symptom formation and resolution.