Traumatic Material Can Arise in Any Reprocessing Phase — And That’s a Good Thing!
As an EMDR Consultant and Trainer, I often support therapists in learning how to navigate traumatic material across all EMDR reprocessing phases—Desensitization, Installation, and Body Scan. One of the most common misconceptions I hear from therapists new to EMDR is this: “If traumatic material comes up during Installation or Body Scan, do I need to go back to Desensitization?”
The short answer? No.
The longer answer: Traumatic material can arise at any point during reprocessing—and we want it to.
Why Traumatic Material Shows Up Across Phases
Think of memory like a song on an old record. Sometimes a memory plays smoothly, sometimes it skips, and sometimes the needle drops into a deep groove you weren’t expecting. EMDR therapy gives space for the verses of the song to show up so that they can finally be processed.
When traumatic or adverse material arises, whether it’s an intrusive image, a surge of anger, or a negative belief, it’s the system doing its job: presenting what’s next in line for healing. This can happen in Desensitization, Installation, or Body Scan.
What’s Consistent: How We Handle Traumatic Material
The phases of reprocessing each have distinct purposes—Desensitization focuses on reducing distress, Installation strengthens positive cognitions (and the body’s felt sense of the PC), and Body Scan clears residual somatic disturbance. Despite these different purposes, the way we respond to traumatic material is consistent across all reprocessing phases:
Always go to BLS. When new material arises, offer a set of bilateral stimulation.
Abreactions are handled the same way across phases. Speed up BLS, tax working memory, and maintain dual attention—as if you and your client are traveling through a collapsing tunnel together, keeping the path open until the nervous system settles.
Blocked processing? Change the mechanics of BLS first. If that doesn’t help, bring in an interweave to unstick the process.
These are the tools we can lean on across phases—working memory taxation, adjusting pacing, even briefly restricting processing if needed.
What’s Distinct: How We Handle Adaptive Information
Where things differ across the reprocessing phases is in how we handle adaptive material:
Desensitization: Here we’re allowing the client’s system to metabolize distress and move toward adaptive resolution. When adaptive material emerges, we strengthen it with a set of BLS. Once it strengthens and then plateaus, that signals the end of a channel of association. At minimum, we look for two adaptive responses in a row before asking the Back to Target question—opening the opportunity for the next “verse of the song” (the next channel) to surface for reprocessing.
Installation: In this phase, our task is to strengthen adaptive beliefs and networks that have emerged. Whenever adaptive material arises, we seize the moment to pair the memory with the Positive Cognition (PC). That means checking in with the VOC, then linking the memory and the PC as we begin the next set of BLS.
Body Scan: Here we’re tuning into the body to notice and release any residual disturbance so the experience can be fully integrated. When adaptive information arises in this phase, we use sets of BLS to further strengthen that adaptive response and reinforce somatic calm.
So while traumatic material is handled consistently across phases, how we handle adaptive material is unique to each phase.
Why This Matters
It’s actually a good thing when traumatic content emerges in later phases. It means the system is bringing forward what’s ready, in the order it needs. By staying steady and consistent in how we respond, we reinforce safety and flow—rather than leaving clients with the impression that they’ve “done it wrong” or that the process needs to restart.
Final Thought
EMDR reprocessing is not about forcing a straight line. It’s about trusting the record of memory to play all the way through—even the parts that surprise us. When the new verses appear, no matter which phase we’re in, we meet them the same way: with dual attention, BLS, and the confidence that the system knows where it needs to go.
That’s the heart of reprocessing.
Are you a therapist looking for support in mastering the nuances of EMDR reprocessing? As an EMDR Consultant and Trainer, I offer consultation and EMDRIA-approved training designed to help you build confidence in handling trauma and adaptive material across all phases.