Template
A target sequence plan lists the memories and situations a course of EMDR will reprocess, in the order it will take them. It follows the three prongs: past memories that set the problem up, starting with the earliest or touchstone memory; present situations that trigger it now; and a future template for how the client wants to respond. Related targets are grouped into clusters by theme. The free template below is a spreadsheet with a row per target and columns for the prong, the cluster, the negative and positive cognitions and the baseline ratings.
Free template
Opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets. It holds no client information: a header row and a few example rows to overwrite.
Past, then present, then future. A plan with only past memories on it is not finished.
Most targets come out of history taking. Two techniques find the ones that do not surface on their own.
Negative cognitions tend to fall into three themes: responsibility (“I am defective”, “I should have done something”), safety (“I am in danger”) and control or choices (“I am powerless”). Grouping targets by theme, person or place gives the plan its clusters, and lets you see in the record how work on one target sits beside the others in its cluster.
The standard sequence starts with the touchstone memory, takes the other past memories in order, then the present triggers, then the future template. Clinicians adjust that order for a client’s readiness, for instance by starting with a less disturbing memory, and that judgment belongs to the clinician and their consultant.
Whatever the order, write it on the plan. A list without an order is an inventory; the order is the plan.
| Column | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Label | A neutral name for the target, such as “T1, childhood, about age 7”. No names, no details. |
| Prong | past, present or future |
| Cluster | The theme the target belongs to |
| Memory | A brief description, in the client’s words or yours |
| Age or year | An age, a year, or a range of up to three years |
| NC and PC | The negative and positive cognitions, in the client’s words |
| SUDs and VOC | The baseline ratings, if they have been taken |
| Emotions, body sensations | What the client feels, and where |
The template’s headers carry the scales intuitiveEMDR’s importer reads, which rate VOC 0 to 10. The standard protocol rates VOC 1 to 7 (see SUDs and VOC); on a sheet you keep yourself, use the published scale and write it in the header.
A target list is part of the client’s clinical record. Label targets neutrally, leave names out, and keep the sheet where the rest of the record is kept, under the same protections, rather than in a downloads folder.
The standard sequence is past, then present, then future, starting with the earliest or touchstone memory. Clinicians adjust it for a client’s readiness; that judgment belongs to the clinician and their consultant.
The earliest memory that carries the same negative cognition, emotion and body sensation as the present problem, often found by floating back from a current trigger.
As many as the history calls for. A single recent incident may need one past target, its present triggers and a future template; a long history may have several clusters with many memories in each.
Yes. It is the file intuitiveEMDR’s target importer reads: fill in a row per target and import it into a client’s record, where each target takes its place on the client’s map with its prong and cluster.
No. It has a header row and a few example rows that describe what goes in each column. Replace them with your own.
In intuitiveEMDR the target sequence plan is the client’s map: each target on its prong and in its cluster, with its SUDs and VOC history beside it, kept up to date as you work. There is a free plan: no credit card, no time limit.
Create a free accountThis 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.