This glossary defines the terms EMDR clinicians use in training, consultation and notes, in a sentence or two each: the model (adaptive information processing), the protocol (the eight phases and the three prongs), the parts of a target (image, negative and positive cognitions, SUDs, VOC) and what happens in reprocessing (sets, channels, interweaves, closure). Each term has its own link, so it can be shared on its own. The definitions follow the standard protocol as Francine Shapiro described it; none of these concepts originated with intuitiveEMDR.
A strong release of emotion or body sensation as a memory is accessed during reprocessing. The clinician generally continues the set while helping the client keep one foot in the present.
The model behind EMDR therapy: experiences that were not fully processed stay stored with the emotions, sensations and beliefs of the moment, and reprocessing links them with more adaptive information.
A way of finding earlier targets: the client holds a current feeling and body sensation and lets the mind scan back for earlier times they felt the same. Like the float-back, without the negative cognition.
Setting up one target for reprocessing: the image for its worst part, the negative cognition, the positive cognition and its VOC, the emotions, the SUDs and the body location.
Rhythmic left–right stimulation used during reprocessing: eye movements following a light or the clinician’s hand, alternating tones in each ear, or alternating taps. Delivered in sets.
A belief that keeps processing from moving, such as “If I let this go, I’ll forget them.” Often found when SUDs will not fall or VOC will not rise; it may become a target of its own.
With the target and the positive cognition in mind, the client scans the body for any remaining tension or sensation; anything found is processed until the body is clear.
A chain of related memories, thoughts, images or sensations that unfolds during reprocessing. The clinician returns to the target at the end of each channel to see what remains.
The end of every session, finished or not: returning the client to a calm, present state, containing what remains and setting expectations for the days ahead.
A brief question, statement or image the clinician offers when processing is stuck or looping, to bring in what it needs to move. Used sparingly; processing resumes with the next set.
Sets of bilateral stimulation while the client notices whatever comes up, following channels of association until the target’s disturbance has gone: SUDs 0, or an ecologically valid 1.
Awareness of the memory and of the present at the same time. The bilateral stimulation and the clinician’s presence help hold it; without it, reprocessing becomes reliving.
Whether a rating fits the client’s real situation. A SUDs of 1 or a VOC of 6 can be the right ending when a fully neutral or fully true rating would not be realistic; the reason is recorded.
An earlier, untargeted memory that feeds a current target’s disturbance and keeps it from resolving. It may surface during processing and be reprocessed first.
A way of finding the earliest related memory: from a present trigger, the client holds the negative cognition, emotion and body sensation and lets the mind float back to an earlier time they felt the same.
Pairing the positive cognition with the target after desensitization, and strengthening it with sets until the VOC reaches 7, or an ecologically valid 6.
Processing that repeats the same thought, image, emotion or sensation without change over several sets. A change in the stimulation, or a cognitive interweave, may help it move.
The negative belief about the self that goes with the target, in the present tense, such as “I am powerless” or “I am not safe”. Commonly grouped into responsibility, safety and control themes.
The belief the client would rather hold about themselves when they bring up the target, such as “I have choices now”. How true it feels is rated on the VOC.
Explaining the process, gaining consent, agreeing a stop signal, building calming and containment resources and trying out the bilateral stimulation before reprocessing begins.
The opening of each session after reprocessing: checking the previous target on recall, reviewing the time between sessions and deciding what to work on next.
A rating of how disturbing the target feels right now, from 0 (no disturbance, neutral) to 10 (the worst disturbance imaginable). Taken in assessment and through desensitization.
A specific memory, present trigger or future situation chosen for reprocessing, set up in the assessment phase with its image, cognitions, emotions, ratings and body location.
A rating of how true the positive cognition feels at a gut level, held with the target, from 1 (completely false) to 7 (completely true). Taken in assessment and through installation.
The range of arousal in which a person can stay present and process; above it they may become overwhelmed, below it shut down. Daniel Siegel’s term, widely used in EMDR preparation.
Questions
Is the VOC rated 1 to 7 or 0 to 10?
In the standard protocol, 1 to 7. Some clinicians use 0 to 10; whichever is used, record the scale with the number.
Where do these definitions come from?
They summarize the standard EMDR protocol as described in the sources below. Training programs, consultants and later texts may word them differently.
Can I link to a single term?
Yes. Each term has its own address: the page’s address followed by the term’s anchor, for example #float-back.
About the author
IN
Ian Noel, LMHCLicensed mental health counselor and certified trauma psychotherapist; the clinician who built intuitiveEMDR for his own practice first. More.
Sources
Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
Leeds, A. M. (2016). A Guide to the Standard EMDR Therapy Protocols for Clinicians, Supervisors, and Consultants (2nd ed.). Springer Publishing Company.
Siegel, D. J. (1999). The Developing Mind: Toward a Neurobiology of Interpersonal Experience. Guilford Press.
The vocabulary, built into the record.
In intuitiveEMDR, targets, cognitions, SUDs and VOC readings, sets, interweaves and closure are recorded as structured parts of each session, so a course of treatment can be followed target by target. There is a free plan: no credit card, no time limit.
This page is educational material for trained clinicians. It is not a treatment, does not diagnose anything, and is not a substitute for EMDR training, consultation or care from a qualified professional. If you are in crisis, contact your local emergency services.