EMDR – Exercises to do right now

To do EMDR exercises yourself you have to keep in mind that you need two things.
1) On the one hand , bring to light the trauma (sensation, thought, mental image, symptom,
etc.) that you want to get rid of. This is the most difficult and what can cause the most
problems.
2) On the other hand, bilateral stimulation . This, as you will see in this article, is at your
fingertips.
One thing without the other, it doesn't work . If you do bilateral stimulation but have not
previously gotten your bad feelings out, it will not work. If you bring up your bad feelings but
don't do bilateral stimulation, it won't work either. And the latter is even more dangerous,
since it can lead to a reinforcement of the trauma. We need double focal attention (internal
and external) for EMDR exercises to have their full effect. With external stimulation we "let
go" of the trauma and desensitize ourselves to it. We leave it just as
another memory without it having a negative effect on us.
In other words, watching the EMDR videos below every day is not going
to have any positive effect on you (at least as would be ideal) if you do not
bring up your trauma. We need it to be physiologically “alive” within
you to let it go completely. We need you to feel some type of
psychosomatic stress to let it go.
Types of EMDR exercises
All EMDR exercises are based on bilateral stimulation to achieve correct processing of bad
experiences, phobias or fears, reducing the associated stress. This is achieved through the
connection of the two hemispheres of the brain. There are 3 main groups of EMDR exercises:
– Visual : Eye movements in a certain way
– Through sounds : Hear sounds alternately in both ears
– Kinesiological : Through small alternating taps on our body (usually arms or legs)
How often is it advisable to do EMDR
exercises?
EMDR exercises are quite intense so it is not recommended to do them more
than once every 5-6 days . Especially if you do long sessions of more than
an hour. We need your body and mind to adapt to this treatment and digest it little by little
(especially at the beginning).
What to do before EMDR exercises?
It is important that before doing the EMDR exercises that I show you below, you identify the
section that you want to improve. Diagnose your problem or aspect to improve in your life. In
short, the source of your trauma.
Why you find yourself like this is key. Looking at the past and the present. You have to delve
into those thoughts that are causing your current symptoms or emotions. What we are going
to do with this therapy is like digesting food that has not been digested . That is why it is
important to first see the food (thoughts, sensations) that has not been digested by our brain.
If you want, you can write it down on a sheet of paper. You have to do it just before you start
doing the EMDR exercise on video and keep that thought while you do it so that it is
processed properly in your mind. You have to give a name and surname to that trauma, fear
or process that makes you feel bad. It can be very good to write it down on a sheet of paper
to work on what worries you most. A list would be great. You have to write down the
situation/memory that makes you uncomfortable and the emotion it evokes in you .
It is good that you remember the specific aspects that generate the most concern and
anguish . EMDR exercise will set you free. Many times, other associated thoughts will come
to you. No problem. Continue with the exercise.
It is important to identify the stimuli that trigger the symptoms (smells, people, situations,
etc.) to correct them. Send information to our brain that no longer has to have a hard time
with all that.
Developing our action plan for EMDR and exercises
You have to know when the symptoms appear, how they have varied over time, what areas of
life they affect, what their intensity and frequency are, and the cause that
causes them. Also the negative emotions and beliefs associated with the
physical symptom. And, finally, create a map for each patient. We are all
different . So a thorough examination of how we think, what we have
done to deal with those negative emotions, and the resources we
currently have to deal with this problem is useful.
I consider it very useful to relax before performing bilateral stimulation.
It will probably help you to write all this information on a sheet of paper.
On the other hand, we must develop a plan of what we want to achieve with the EMDR
exercises:
1) Objectives that we want to achieve with EMDR therapy
2) What thoughts or emotions do we want to process correctly through EMDR?
The stages of EMDR exercises
For EMDR exercises with a therapist to be successful, it is good to complete all the stages of
their execution. I summarize them a lot for you. Because what interests me is that you know
how to do the exercises correctly as I explain later. There are 8.
Planning
The objectives that you want to achieve are noted and the negative anchors that you want to
process correctly are identified (symptoms, emotions, smells, sensations, etc.). The correct
predisposition of the patient to EMDR therapy and exercises is verified
Explanation of the process
The therapist must guide the patient about what EMDR therapy is, the
exercises and how they will be executed. It is good to find out about the
patient's health conditions and current medication. In addition, other
relaxation or self-control techniques can be helped here.
Measuring memories
The memory of the patient who presents the symptoms is chosen and false beliefs and
physical symptoms are integrated into it. The intensity of physical symptoms and the degree
of validity of negative beliefs are usually scored. Negative beliefs are intensified and a
positive statement about the process is subsequently made. The ideal is to identify an
image with the trauma to work with it
Desensitization, the key part
This is when we proceed to bilateral stimulation . It is the most important part of the process
because new unpleasant sensations or physical symptoms usually appear. The normal thing
is for these emotions to arise and to work with them through bilateral stimulation again. This
phase is the hardest of the EMDR exercises because it is where the worst part of the trauma
is accessed.
changing to positive
In this phase we must reinforce the positive message declaration that we made. Now we
have control of that situation in a positive way and it is verbalized. The positive belief has to
be totally assumed. It's very important. We need positive experiences to have good mental
health.
Relaxation
Relax and release any sensation of tension that may have remained with
any known technique.
Scan again
It is again seen if the patient can think about these traumas without
experiencing bad sensations . If not, return to the desensitization step.
Re-evaluation
In subsequent sessions you can see the aspects that will continue to be improved with the
EMDR exercises.
A practical example of an EMDR exercise
I give you an example with steps of how to approach the EMDR session in a practical way.
Example clinical case
A person who had a very bad experience on the street and is now afraid to leave their
house (agoraphobia) . I want to remind you that the key to this method is to evoke a bad
past experience while doing a task that requires your attention in the present (such as moving
your eyes horizontally).
Step 1
Small relaxation before EMDR exercises

Step 2
We must visualize a very positive situation in our life, something that makes us feel great.
And thinking about this we do bilateral stimulation , for example, moving the eyes
horizontally from one side to the other. Thus our brain identifies this stimulation with
something positive. And then you declare in a positive way how you want to feel (for
example, "I feel great being on the street") with the EMDR exercises that you are going to do.
Step 3
That person must remember their bad experience (image) and focus on the aspects that
cause the most unpleasant sensations about it (emotion). You may have previously noted
them to work on them. Evoke everything bad about that experience. The beliefs, emotions
and symptoms that cause you the most discomfort. The memory that causes you the
greatest anxiety . It is unpleasant to visit that image or sensation, but necessary. It is good
to identify an image with that bad memory. The limiting beliefs that harm you. It is also a
good idea to say negative emotions out loud. But it is not necessary. That is why EMDR
exercises are useful for people who do not want to talk about their most internalized fears or
negative beliefs. The important thing is that they bring it to light themselves, but there is no
need to communicate these feelings otherwise you want to cause too much stress in the
patient.
Step 4
Bilateral stimulation is elicited for a minute or so by rapid movement of the eyes from side
to side (such as occurs in REM sleep), alternating sounds in each ear, or alternating taps on
the legs or arms ( tapping). There are also EMDR devices that produce alternating vibrations
in the hands to help with this bilateral stimulation.
Normally the technique that works best is bilateral stimulation through horizontal saccades.
You don't have to move your head. Simply move your eyes from one side of the visual field to
the other horizontally. About 50 movements are usually done each time. The patient is
asked how he feels at the end of this minute (or we ask ourselves)
Step 5
The patient talks about the images, thoughts or sensations that have gone through his or her
head while doing the EMDR bilateral stimulation exercise. What has come to mind during
bilateral stimulation? How do you feel? Where do you feel it physically? You can speak it out
loud. You don't have to judge it as good or bad, just feel it. Many times the patient can
remember other associated thoughts. It is time to also work with them. Our mind works freely,
solving problems by itself. You have to be patient and work with each of the emotions that
have come to you until you exhaust all the associations that are connected to the trauma.
There may even be physical movements or crying. It flows with them. They are not attempted
to be avoided. Everything is fine with them.
Step 6
Bilateral stimulation is repeated for another minute with any sensation that appears. Until
those sensations become completely neutral .
Step 7
The bilateral stimulation of the EMDR exercise is interrupted from time to time to ensure that
information processing is being carried out correctly. We talk about the sensations that
we are having. It is a way to support the process.
Step 8
Steps 4 to 7 are repeated until the negative sensations or thoughts disappear completely.
The normal thing is that these sensations/thoughts/emotions mutate towards more positive
sensations. Once the positive ones are given and the negative ones have disappeared, we
reinforce the positive ones with more bilateral stimulation . And with more positive views.
We imagine ourselves in that situation that was previously negative but from a positive
point of view . In our example, it could be enjoying a walk with friends.
Step 9
The patient says his positive statement out loud (“I feel great being on the street”), fully
assuming it to also work on it with EMDR. The step of introducing healthy thoughts into our
minds that help us through bilateral stimulation is essential. For example, changing "I'm a
loser" to "I did what I could at the time."
Step 10
Another set of bilateral stimulations is produced until the patient fully
assumes the positive belief.

Step 11
Tension accumulated in the body is released through a relaxation exercise (ideally guided
visual relaxation), releasing any physical tension we have in any part of our body.
Step 12
If unpleasant symptoms or emotions appear, we return to step 2 of EMDR exercises to
desensitize those sensations as well. And if it feels good, we do a last set of eye
movements to reinforce those good body sensations.
With all these steps we ensure that the trauma of the past is stored correctly with the most
powerful resources we have in the present. The entire mind works to properly process
information through this bilateral stimulation that stimulates both brain hemispheres in
EMDR exercises.
EMDR: Video exercises
Since many times a picture is worth a thousand words, I leave you some EMDR videos with
exercises that can help you practice EMDR on your own. It is important that you follow all the
steps that I mentioned above to perform the exercises correctly.
There are many resources on the internet to be able to perform EMDR exercises yourself. I
only put the best ones here . The ones you have to use no matter what if you don't have
money and want to apply your own EMDR. To do the exercises that I propose here, I
recommend using headphones if they have sounds and a quiet place to do them.
EMDR: Pre-relaxation exercise
Here I could put thousands of relaxation exercises. You can choose the one that relaxes you
the most. This is just a very quick example of bilateral relaxation. But you can do
visualizations, meditations, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npNegFO1l00&feature=emb_logo

Complete EMDR video session with therapist

I love this EMDR exercise since it is very complete about this technique. It will surely surprise
you. Super educational. The best for you to learn what the technique is like . And
essential before doing it yourself. It seems like magic, but it's science . It is in English.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6UvKhLYf7w&feature=emb_logo

Video to emulate EMDR therapist movement

These videos are highly recommended to move the eyes horizontally and thus do the bilateral
stimulation of EMDR exercises

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlfQIRJEsYk&feature=emb_logo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DALbwI7m1vM&feature=emb_logo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61tW_8PfZVU&feature=emb_logo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5D03LP7SKA&feature=emb_logo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_nMaJyfYmU&feature=emb_logo

EMDR: More complete video exercises

These are the 2 EMDR exercises on YouTube that seem most complete to me. They
integrate visual stimulation with sound stimulation. The combination of both is even more
effective . In addition, they incorporate relaxing images and positive messages to
reinforce our positive beliefs and replace negative ones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkuqlRkMk_s&feature=emb_logo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szaatxUHFuw&feature=emb_logo

PDF guide to correctly perform EMDR exercises (in English)

https://janinafisher.com/pdfs/modemdr.pdf

Verdisa's EMDR exercise

If you want to do something very simple and that will help you with all this, I'll
put it on a plate for you.
All you have to do is:
1) Relax
2) Evoke a very positive feeling or image , in which you feel great
3) Make a horizontal eye movement from left to right while you continue
thinking about that sensation. I recommend using one of the videos from before to do bilateral
stimulation following the point on the screen horizontally
4) Think about something negative that you want to improve
5) Make a horizontal eye movement from left to right while you continue thinking. I
recommend using one of the videos from before to do bilateral stimulation following the
point on the screen horizontally
6) Think about that negative but now changing it to something positive
7) Make a horizontal eye movement from left to right while you continue thinking. I
recommend using one of the videos from before to do bilateral stimulation following the
point on the screen horizontally
You can repeat this EMDR exercise as many times as you want to correct all your bad
feelings, thoughts, symptoms, etc.
Easy and simple. For those who don't want to get complicated and improve quickly.
What is the purpose of EMDR exercises?
May our mind adapt correctly to the concepts to which it has not adapted correctly. With this
you achieve:
– Reduce associated stress
– Reduce symptoms at a physiological level
– Better development in our daily lives
– That we modify our negative beliefs
What to do after EMDR exercises?
The effects of EMDR exercises do not end when the session
ends. A series of emotions and thoughts occur in the hours
and days after treatment. The sensations vary greatly from
person to person but it is important that you know that they
usually occur . You may have some headache . This can be
reduced if you perform correctly (taking all the time you need) the relaxation exercise in
steps 1 and 11. It is also likely that you will have unusual dreams that night. Let them flow.
All of this does not mean that the EMDR session was not successful .
In any case, these types of sensations usually disappear quickly as the days go by . It's
good to take some time after an intense EMDR session.
It would be great if you could practice mindfulness , just being aware of what is happening in
the moment. Don't worry about catching the subway or bus quickly. Savor the present
moment, enjoying it to the fullest.
It is not advisable to drive or expose yourself to tense situations immediately after this type of
therapy.
It would also be great to practice relaxation techniques between EMDR sessions.
Keep in mind that some sensations, symptoms or thoughts may appear to continue
working on in future EMDR sessions. It is important to know that we can work with EMDR on
any aspect of our life that disturbs us. This makes us give less importance to any event that a
priori would be negative.

Trauma, according to the EMDR technique, has a lot to offer us, which is why we are going to mention EMDR
therapy and its main phases.
Neurologist Francine Shapiro developed the EMDR technique in the late 1980s, based on the theory that there is a
physiological component to every ailment.
In 1987, Francine Shapiro realized that by moving her eyes from side to side, the discomfort she experienced in
the face of unpleasant feelings could decrease or disappear. And from there EMDR therapy is born.
It is based on the fact that trauma is information stored in the brain in a dysfunctional way, so it cannot be
integrated into everyday experience and when faced with a similar stimulus in some way there are symptoms that
can be fear, anger, rejection or physiological blockage or muscular.
EMDR for the treatment of trauma is a therapy that is endorsed by the scientific community, the WHO and
certain organizations. In this therapy, the mechanism in the brain to integrate information is launched.
Information that was not well stored previously, with the stimulation of the mechanism, allows the event to be
integrated into memories in a healthy way.
For this reason, more and more people are going to an EMDR therapist to release their traumas, and therapists
are valuing this therapy as an interesting way to treat patients. And much faster than other techniques.

What is EMDR therapy based on?

When experiencing a traumatic event or unpleasant and intense situations, trauma processing may not be done
correctly and may become blocked. By not correctly filing the information about this event in the corresponding
network of memories, the information is fragmented in the nervous system in such a way that it can be activated
automatically, conditioning behavior and affecting the person's life.
By stimulating the mechanism , the tangled event is integrated into the memories in a healthy way, as we have
already said.

What is EMDR therapy and what is it used

for?
The EMDR technique is used to help patients process traumatic events that have happened in their lives, but also
to overcome phobias or improve performance in certain aspects of their life.
There are many traumas that could be overcome with therapy , so it is good to put yourself in the hands of a
professional who decides that this is the best technique in each specific case.
 The concept is complex, but it is based on bilateral stimulation, through which the two hemispheres of the brain
are stimulated with eye movements, sounds or taps so that other parts of the traumatic event or memory come to
the patient's memory.
What is sought with the EMDR process is for the hemispheres to talk to each other and
process the information to reduce the emotional problem. It does something similar to
the REM phase of the floor in which stress states are faced adaptively by creating
connections between past experiences to solve problems.
Now that we know what EMDR is , it is important to discover what the main techniques are and learn more in
depth about the eight phases that every patient will go through in the EMDR technique.

What are the techniques used by EMDR?

There are three types of techniques or three types of bilateral stimulation that are used in EMDR and that will
be applied according to each patient, and they are:
 Horizontal saccadic eye movements. They are a set of movements that the therapist makes with his fingers in the
patient's visual field. The latter has to follow the therapist's fingers with his eyes without moving his head and
making a total of up to 40 movements in each performance. It is the technique that works best in EMDR.
 Bilateral auditory stimulation. This uses tones or bilateralized music that is listened to with headphones. The
therapist has a device that allows him or her to control sounds, speed and intensity.
 Tapping . The therapist gently taps the patient's knees, alternating right and left, and alternately hitting the
person's hands that are resting on the patient's knee.
It is the EMDR therapist who must find out which is the best technique in each case, and although the first is
usually more successful, in other cases another may be required.
It is noteworthy that this therapy can be combined with other therapies and techniques, making it even more
effective and adapted to the needs of the patients. Therefore, the possibility of using the therapy alone or with
other techniques can be considered.
In our case, our Malaga psychologists , as specialists, always assess each case in a personalized way to use EMDR
combined with other therapies or alone.

What is an EMDR session like?

There are several steps that are gone through in a session of this therapy that we must mention because it is
interesting for the person to know what they are going to be exposed to in it.
An EMDR session would unfold like this:
 First, the person is asked to focus on the memory that is causing the most discomfort.
 Subsequently, the patient's movement from one side to the other is provoked with visual, tactile or auditory
stimulation.
 Subsequently, the patient is asked to indicate what comes to mind: sounds, images, sensations, and so on.
 The process is repeated until the negative sensations, emotions or thoughts disappear.
The traumatic memory of the past is connected and processed with more adaptive resources of the present. Thus,
the patient can process the event again with a healthier emotional reading that allows the complicated behavior to
go away.

The 8 steps of the EMDR technique

The therapy is based on 8 well-structured phases that we must know how to identify correctly, and which are the
main basis of a technique that has been very successful since its inception and many people have been treated with
it. We mention them below.

1. Plan design
It is an initial phase in which the clinical history of each patient is recorded, memories are collected to process with
the corresponding therapy and physical sensations. It can be a belief, smell or sensation , whatever detail is
considered. An agreement will also be established on the therapeutic objectives to be worked on in the sessions.

2. Patient preparation
The therapist is dedicated to explaining to the patient what the method consists of, indicating the theory and
foundation on which it is based. It also clears up doubts, tells the expectations of success and everything necessary
so that he becomes familiar with the method that is going to be used with him. The key is to discover that the
patient is suitable for this therapy and trusts the therapist.
Informed consent is given, which is where the process is explained, in addition to knowing the person's current
medical conditions and whether they take any medications.

3. The evaluation
Through this point you identify the memory that you want to process. Once you know what it is, the patient will be
asked for an image that represents this memory to start working on it. It begins by verbalizing negative emotions
and feelings and then making a positive statement that will be used in the installation phase.
To measure memory, you must access a structure and measure the main elements of memory. Each baseline of this
memory must be measured against the emotions, cognitions, and physical sensations when examining it.
In this phase 3, the initial VoC (validity of positive cognition) and SUD (degree of disturbance you are feeling when
you think about that image) scores will be recorded.

4. Desensitization
It is in which new disturbing emotions, physical symptoms or memories arise . You have to focus and pay
attention. Bilateral stimulation is worked on. If the process is blocked here, other more advanced strategies and
procedures can be used.
In this phase is when the moment of the trauma is accessed in which the worst part of the memory is and the level
of disturbance must be assessed . The patient must make free association with the bilateral stimulation set. You
have to exhaust the associations and situations that connect with the memory. It should be done until you no
longer feel any disturbance when remembering the corresponding scene.

5. Installation of positive cognition

In this phase we seek to reinforce the positive statement , not the negative one. What is intended is for the
patient to assume and reinforce the fact that they have control of the situation that was blocking them. Bilateral
stimulation continues to be used until the patient believes the situation can be managed. Positive belief must be
seen as absolute truth.
Short sets of stimulation will be done, checking how you feel using a scale from 1 to 7. And you should keep
thinking about the situation and repeating the positive cognition. The aim is to reach a minimum score of 6.

6. Body examination
In this phase we seek to release residual physical tension . The traumatic event must be
remembered with positive cognition. You have to search the body for possible pain or unpleasant sensations that
are processed to eliminate tension. It is usually resolved easily and effectively, but there may be new information
and other complicated experiences that could lead to new paths.
If a sensation of stinging, discomfort or discomfort appears in the body in this phase, you should return to the
desensitization phase. If it is good, a set of eye movements is done to reinforce the good feeling.

7. Logout
This seeks to ensure that the patient recovers a state of balance , even if the reprocessing has not been
completed. The patient will record in a diary situations, memories, thoughts, and more that may occur in the future
to process them in the same way as is done. The patient will learn to relax and contain emotions.
The session is closed and it is evaluated until the next session. What is sought with this phase is to ensure the
stability of the patient and guide them at the end of each reprocessing session.

8. Re-evaluation
At the beginning of the next session, the target from the previous session is accessed again to assess whether it still
has residual disturbances and whether the results are maintained. What is valued is the effectiveness of the
therapy in previous sessions.
In this phase it is important to see that all aspects of the treatment plan are addressed.

Bilateral stimulation can be:

a) Visual: the patient moves his eyes from one side to the other guided by the therapist.

b) Auditory: the patient hears alternating sounds in both ears.

c) Kinesthetic: the therapist gently and alternately hits the patient's hands or shoulders. This gesture
facilitates the connection between the two cerebral hemispheres, achieving the processing of
information and the subsequent reduction of emotional load.

It is important to highlight that the therapist guides the process at all times, making clinical decisions
about the direction the intervention should follow. The goal is for the patient to process information
about the traumatic incident, leading to an “adaptive resolution.” In the words of Francine Shapiro, this
means: a reduction in symptoms; a change in beliefs and the possibility of functioning better in
everyday life. Finally, it is important to highlight that the approach used in EMDR is based on three
points: early life experiences; stressful experiences of the present and desired thoughts and behaviors
for the future.

EMDR treatment can range from 3 sessions, for a simple trauma, to more than a year for complex
problems.

Functional reintegration of memories

As the therapeutic process progresses with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
(EMDR), bilateral stimulation helps the stored information that
EDMR PHASES
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

Phase Description

The anamnesis is carried out, identification of traumatic memories ,

as well as their association with the syndromic condition that the patient
1 Initial
manifests. At this stage, guidelines for the therapeutic process are
established.

2 Preparation An induction is done so that the patient knows the steps and becomes
familiar with the processes to follow within the sessions:
to. The therapist teaches the patient as well as psychophysical
techniques for managing states of anxiety and emotional
discomfort , such as: breathing and relaxation exercises, so that the
subject has these “weapons” and can be better able to face the
problems. emotional challenges by controlling your energy, thoughts and
 emotions when exposed to traumatic memories or even everyday
situations.

b. The patient learns and practices various variants of bilateral

stimulation , generally visual, but can also be auditory or tactile, and are
composed of sets of: horizontal eye movements, tapping, bilateral
auditory stimulation, to name a few modalities.

The focus is placed on a conflicting memory to identify physical

sensations, emotions and linked thoughts. Likewise, they try to
associate them with some positive cognition (cognitive remapping). The
Evaluation of
patient assesses the level of subjective discomfort through the
the primary
3 Subjective Disturbance Unit Scale (SUD), it is a test that is part of the
aspects of
comprehensive treatment, since it is used at various times in the
memory
therapeutic process, as it shows the correlation with autonomic
physiological measures of anxiety in the patient pre- and post-treatment
and measures the level of anxiety experienced subjectively.

To modify the level of alteration of subjective discomfort , the

patient is asked to: being an “ observer ” evoke memories of pain or that
cause emotional suffering or even physical discomfort, to treat these
Memory specific memories or sensoperceptions, integration is stimulated.
4 desensitizati neuroemotional of both hemispheres, through eye movements that the
on patient executes in sets, resembling those of deep sleep or REM phase ,
other forms of bilateral stimulation can be used. The Subjective Unit of
Disturbance Scale (SUD) is applied again to assess anxiety levels and
quantify progress.

Positive
The conflicting memory is paired with some paradigm or positive thought
5 Cognition
and another set of bilateral stimulation is performed again.
Facility

Generally through guided meditations or relaxations, the person is

directed to a state of greater peace and stillness, where they are again
Body
6 urged to be an “observer” of their body and the sensations they
mapping
perceive, in case they express discomfort. physical or emotional level,
another set of bilateral stimulation is applied to reduce restlessness.

The therapist provides some recommendations to the patient regarding

the possible changes that they may be experiencing, and is also
Closing
7 reminded that they can use the coping strategies learned in the face
phase
of some specific situations or reactions that cause them some discomfort
at any level.

The therapist evaluates the degree of anxiety and discomfort

experienced by the patient, in different phases to adjust the level of
exposure to the evocation of conflicting memories and determine both
Re-
8 the exposure time and the type of bilateral stimulation modality to be
evaluation
used. In this specific phase, the therapist assesses the ability to cope
with stimuli that caused discomfort in the subject after having completed
their treatment.
causes conflict, they are reintegrated in a functional way, the decrease in “ arousal ” favors
recoding and integration with the “problematic” memory, making it more feasible to execute a
relaxation response, instead of a “tension” one. This represents an effective coping strategy that
will be useful in the subject's daily life, while facilitating emotional management.
EDMR Phases
Francine Shapiro, creator of the technique (1980), established eight phases to develop EDMR in
which, through personalized protocols, conflicting memory traces are reprocessed, with the
help of stimulation or bilateral sensory information, monitoring and adaptation of The steps can
help the clinician predict the patient's progress in treatment and are as follows:

Books about EMDR

We recommend some very interesting books about EMDR therapy, we are sure that you will enjoy reading them
and that you will learn even more about this innovative therapy:

The chaining
In chaining, the objective is the formation of a behavior from other simpler ones that already
appear in the individual's repertoire, by reinforcing their combinations . In other words, it is
about achieving a functional unit that is made up of pre-existing behavioral subunits, which add
up to a new behavior. Therefore, we must count, from the outset, on behaviors that are
fragments of the final behavior. In the chain, first of all, the behavior that you want to achieve
must be analyzed, to specify the function and the component behaviors. The level of detail of
these operations will depend (in addition to the task) on the behavioral repertoires of the subject
being worked with. It is essential to know what behavioral fragments the client has available. The
same (final) behavior can be achieved with different intermediate behaviors. In chaining you
can start at both the beginning and the end. This technique is used in behaviors that the subject
knows but does not know how to do: for example, in the development of domestic autonomy
skills, such as dressing, eating or personal hygiene.
In forward chaining, the order of operations is followed from beginning to end. For example, you
learn to drive a car by slowly synchronizing the different operations that that person could do
separately anyway. In backward chaining you start at the last step. For example, in the
behavior of putting on pants, the boy or girl would be helped to put them on except for the last
thing that needs to be done (for example, zipping up); So, you have to teach him to finish the
process. Once he has learned it, he then starts at the previous step (for example, fastening the
button), and is taught to finish the behavior from that point on. It is not as common as the
previous one. Now, there is a third way to do it, which consists of the complete presentation of
the task. In this procedure, the client will execute the steps from the beginning to the end of the
chain on each trial and continue, repeating the entire chain, until all the steps (the entire chain)
are learned.
Contingency contract
A behavioral contract (or contingency contract) is an agreement that is formalized in
writing, between two or more people, and that specifies the behaviors that each of the
parties must execute and the consequences that will arise, as well as failure to comply with the
agreement. that includes the contract. It implies, therefore, the reciprocal exchange of rewards
contingent on the behaviors specified in the contract.
It is not necessary that they be very long, nor complicated, but simpler and more understandable,
the better. What is really important is that it is very clear what consequences will arise from
compliance or non-compliance with the conditions (conduct) agreed in the contract. Contracts
must be specific, the following information must be included: who (the person who has to do the
behavior and the one who gives the consequence), what (the specific behavior and the resulting
consequence), when (it will happen, and also the consequence) and the characteristics of both
the behavior and the consequence (intensity, duration, topography, people involved, etc.). They
must be written in positive terms , that is, specifying the desired behavior, not what is not
wanted. They must have a clear beginning and end. Obviously, they can be renegotiated or
exhausted at the end of the contractual period.
Writing and signing the contract is always a way to emphasize what you are trying to do and, in
the process, we ensure that the agreements will not depend on interpretations or the memory of
the parties. A good contract should ensure the possibility that the participant will be
successful in his or her efforts . It is advisable to include additional bonuses if the person
exceeds the contract minimums; In this way, it will be to your advantage to try to do your best. It
must be negotiated, and it should be right for both parties and also allow for renegotiation
. Furthermore, it should fade once new patterns of behavior and reinforcement have been
established. One of the objectives should be to reduce dependence on the contract and maintain
new behaviors and new reinforcements in an informal way in the natural environment.
Raise self-esteem
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