EMDR Top Ten List

One of the tasks in EMDR therapy is to make a list of the ten most highly charged emotional things that have happened to you.  Usually, this would be over your lifetime; however, this could also be for a recent trauma or event that would have several different aspects to it.

We do this to help identify targets upon which to do the EMDR processing.

• Think of times when you were emotionally upset.
• Something unfair, threatenting or life-threatening was done to you or someone close to you.
• You witnessesed or experienced an emotionally charged event.

Take it easy on yourself when doing it.

Notice how difficult it is to start it.

Notice feelings that arise while doing it.

Notice that these things all have an emotional charge to them which at the time of the event felt unpleasant and negative and in some ways still does.

If it becomes overwhelming and you don’t do it, that’s fine.  Be gentle with yourself.

Remember, one nice thing about EMDR is that you can’t do it wrong.