Phase 1 of EMDR therapy is all about understanding you, your experiences, your goals, and whether EMDR is the right approach for your needs.

During this initial phase, your therapist will take a thorough history, discuss what brings you to therapy, explore what you’ve already tried, identify your strengths and coping skills, and create an individualized treatment plan.

You’ll also learn more about how EMDR works and what to expect throughout the process. An important part of this phase is identifying negative core beliefs, deeply held beliefs such as “I’m not good enough,” “I’m a failure,” or “There’s something wrong with me” that may have developed or been reinforced through difficult experiences. Even when we logically know these beliefs aren’t true, they can still feel very real.

Phase 1 provides the foundation for EMDR by helping you and your therapist understand where you are, what you want to work toward, and what support you need before moving into the next stages of treatment. You don’t have to have everything figured out before beginning; this first phase is about creating a thoughtful, individualized path forward.