From the Personal Transformation Institute’s EMDRIA-approved Basic Training and EMDR Refresher curriculum, developed by Deb Kennard, founder of PTI and developer of the S.A.F.E. Approach to EMDR. Written for EMDR-trained clinicians.
Key takeaways
- EMD and restricted processing (EMDr) are narrowed forms of EMDR that keep the client close to one target. They reduce symptoms; they are not comprehensive reprocessing.
- Choose them for clinical reasons, usually a recent or intrusive event or a client who can’t yet tolerate the full protocol. Never because it feels easier for you or the client.
- All 8 phases still apply. History taking and preparation (Phases 1 and 2) are not optional.
- The mechanics change in three ways: shorter sets, a return to target and SUD check after every set, and no body scan.
What Is EMD?
Eye Movement Desensitization (EMD) was Francine Shapiro’s original method, first described in the late 1980s. She understood it as desensitization of excess arousal, similar to exposure therapy. As she used it with more clients, she saw that people spontaneously made new associations and arrived at new learning. That observation became EMDR, which lets the client’s system reprocess far more comprehensively than EMD does.
EMD survives today as a deliberately narrow strategy. Only associations directly related to the selected target are followed. When the client drifts to something else, the therapist gently brings them back to the target and checks the SUD (Subjective Units of Disturbance), often after every set.
EMD vs. Restricted Processing (EMDr) vs. Full EMDR
Think of these as three widths of the same lens. Full EMDR lets the memory network open wherever the client’s system takes it. Restricted processing follows one event from beginning to end. EMD stays on a single piece of one event.
| EMD | Restricted processing (EMDr) | Full EMDR | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | One piece of one memory (an image, sound or intrusive part) | One event, worked through its points of disturbance | The whole memory network, wherever associations lead |
| Associations | Only those directly tied to the target | Kept within the selected event | Followed freely |
| After each set | Return to target, take the SUD | Return to target, take the SUD | “What do you notice now?” |
| Sets | Short | Short and fast, about 8 to 12 passes | Standard length |
| When to move on | SUD at or near 0 | SUD lowered as far as it will go, often 4 or below | SUD of 0, then installation |
| Body scan (Phase 6) | No | No | Yes |
| Outcome | Symptom reduction for that piece | Symptom reduction for the event | Comprehensive reprocessing |
When Narrowing the Protocol Makes Sense
Restricted approaches are a clinical decision, made in collaboration with the client. Good reasons include:
- A recent event that hasn’t yet consolidated into a single memory
- Intrusive images or sounds that need to settle before broader work can begin
- A narrow window of tolerance, where opening the full network would take the client out of a workable range of arousal
- Limited time or stability, such as a crisis setting, where the goal is relief and containment rather than resolution
If the client can tolerate the full protocol, use the full protocol. It is the version with the evidence for lasting change in how the client’s system responds.
Whatever width you choose, all 8 phases still apply. You still need a sense of the client’s history and current resources, you still identify targets and the root of the present issue, and you still confirm the client can shift states safely. For a restricted session you only need the headlines of the event, not every detail. Understanding the window of tolerance and resourcing is essential before any of this.
The EMD Protocol, Step by Step
EMD works with one piece of a memory. The structure:
- Choose the target. This may be a single image, a sound or another intrusive part of the memory.
- Find the worst part. “What image represents the worst part?”
- Negative cognition. “What words best go with that image that express a negative belief about yourself now?”
- Positive cognition. “What would you rather believe about yourself now?”
- Baseline SUD on the 0 to 10 scale.
- Desensitize with a SUD check after every set. Bring up the image and the negative words, add eye movements, then return to the target and ask how disturbing it feels now. Continue until the SUD is at or near 0.
- Check the VOC (Validity of Cognition, 1 to 7) for the positive belief. Because you have worked with only one piece of the memory, a VOC of 7 is unlikely, and that is expected.
- Close without a body scan. End with a container or another resource as needed.
Restricted Processing (EMDr), Step by Step
Restricted processing, adapted from Shapiro and closely related to recent-event work, takes one whole event and works through it one point of disturbance (POD) at a time. PTI teaches it in this sequence:
- Decide together. Explain that this protocol is used to take some of the charge out of the memory, answer questions, get informed consent, and confirm the client has a resource ready (container, grounding or a somatic resource).
- Tell the whole story with DAS. The client tells the event out loud from just before it began to the present moment while you provide dual attention stimulus (DAS). Some clients find it helpful to picture it as a movie.
- Find the first POD. The client reviews the event again silently during DAS and uses the stop signal when the most disturbing part shows up. That piece, named in a word or two, becomes the first target.
- Access the POD. Worst part (an image, or whatever the client offers), negative cognition, positive cognition, and SUD.
- Process the POD with short, fast sets, returning to target and taking the SUD after every set. Stay with it until the SUD is as low as it will go, often 4 or below. It may not reach 0.
- Move to the next POD. The client reviews the event again during DAS and stops at the next worst part. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until a full review brings up no more disturbing parts. There may be several PODs, or just one or two.
- Install the positive cognition for the entire event. Check that the positive belief still fits, take the VOC, and add short sets while the client holds the memory and the words together.
- Close without a body scan, using a container or other resource as needed.
Looking for the EMD or restricted processing script?
PTI’s full scripted protocol, with the exact therapist wording, actions and note fields for each step, is part of the course materials for PTI’s 6-Day EMDR Basic Training and the EMDR Refresher (8 hours). The Refresher also includes Deb’s video demonstration of restricted recent-event processing.
Common Mistakes
- Using a restricted protocol by default. If the client can handle full reprocessing, narrowing it leaves healing on the table.
- Skipping preparation. A narrow protocol still needs a stable client and a tested resource.
- Asking “What do you notice?” That question opens the network. In EMD and EMDr, return to the target and take the SUD instead.
- Chasing a 0 or a 7. Restricted work often lands at a lower SUD rather than none, and a partial VOC. That is the expected outcome, not a failure.
- Adding a body scan. Phase 6 invites the wider network back in. Close with a resource instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
EMD (Eye Movement Desensitization) keeps processing on one piece of a memory and checks the SUD after every set, so it reduces disturbance for that piece. EMDR follows associations wherever the client’s system takes them, which allows comprehensive reprocessing. EMD was Shapiro’s original method; EMDR grew out of it.
EMDr is restricted reprocessing. It sits between EMD and full EMDR: the client works through one whole event, one point of disturbance at a time, with short sets and a return to target after each set.
Only for clinical reasons: a recent or intrusive event, or a client who can’t yet tolerate full reprocessing within their window of tolerance. If the client can manage the full protocol, use it.
Yes. History taking and preparation still come first, and you still assess, desensitize, install and close. The one phase you leave out is the body scan.
Obtain a narrative of the event and note its most disturbing moments. In PTI’s restricted processing sequence, this is the step where the client tells the whole story from beginning to end with DAS.
Related Reading
- Is Your Client Ready for Reprocessing? How to Assess Readiness
- Cognitive Interweaves in EMDR: What Works and When to Use Them
- When EMDR Gets Stuck: Blocked Processing, Looping, and Feeder Memories
Go deeper
Already trained and want to sharpen restricted work? The EMDR Refresher: Strengthening Your Skills and Confidence in EMDR Therapy covers when and why to restrict, EMD vs. EMDr vs. EMDR, and a full demonstration, alongside the 8 phases, S.A.F.E. EMDR and cognitive interweaves.
New to EMDR? PTI’s EMDRIA-approved 6-Day EMDR Basic Training teaches the full protocol and its modifications, with live practice and consultation included.