EMDR Negative And Positive Cognitions

This professional resource aids mental health practitioners during the eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) assessment phase by offering a list of negative and positive cognitions commonly associated with traumatic memories.

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Professional version

Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.

Information handout only (PDF)

A copy of the information handout in PDF format.

Overview

The EMDR Negative And Positive Cognitions Information Handout is a practical tool designed for use during Phase 3 of the EMDR protocol. In this phase, therapists support clients in identifying negative self-beliefs linked to a target memory, along with preferred positive cognitions that support adaptive reprocessing. This handout can be especially helpful when clients struggle to articulate their beliefs. By offering a structured list of commonly reported cognitions, it provides language options that can support the EMDR assessment process.

Why Use This Resource?

Exploration of beliefs and cognitions is a key component in several EMDR phases, particularly during assessment and installation.

Exploration of beliefs and cognitions is a key component in several EMDR phases, particularly during assessment and installation. This handout:

Assists clients in articulating their negative cognitions during the memory assessment phase of EMDR.
Supports clients in identifying an alternative positive cognition that reflects how they would prefer to think.

Key Benefits

Clarity

Helps clients clearly identify their cognitions linked to their traumatic experiences.

Structure

Provides a framework for assessing belief content during Phase 3 of EMDR.

Client Support

Beneficial for clients who find it difficult to articulate or identify their beliefs.

Who is this for?

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Identifying beliefs associated with unresolved trauma.

Integrating it into your practice

Exploration

Use the handout to support clients in exploring negative and positive cognitions associated with a chosen target memory.

Clarification

Help clients distinguish between their current negative beliefs and preferred positive beliefs linked to their traumatic experience.

Assessment

Use the VoC (Validity of Cognition) and SUDs (Subjective Units of Distress) scales to evaluate the intensity of beliefs and related emotional responses.

Theoretical Background & Therapist Guidance

This resource is grounded in the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, which underpins eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. According to the AIP model, dysfunctionally stored memories can give rise to maladaptive beliefs and present-day symptoms. EMDR aims to access and reprocess these memories so that more adaptive information can be integrated.

Phase 3 of the EMDR protocol — the Assessment Phase — involves identifying a target memory along with a linked negative cognition (NC) and a preferred positive cognition (PC). This process activates relevant memory networks and lays the groundwork for reprocessing and installation.

Some clients, particularly those with complex or developmental trauma histories, may struggle to articulate their beliefs. A structured list of commonly observed cognitions can serve as a helpful tool, offering language that resonates with the client’s internal experience and supporting a more focused, collaborative assessment process.

What's inside

A comprehensive list of negative and positive cognitions.
Prompts to support exploration of cognitions during Phase 3 of the EMDR protocol.
Guidance for therapists to facilitate belief identification.

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FAQs

Invite clients to reflect on a selected memory and explore which beliefs from the list resonate most with their experience. The handout can be used collaboratively to clarify and explore cognitions during phase 3 of EMDR.

The list is not exhaustive. Therapists may begin by helping clients consider the four cognitive domains (responsibility, safety/vulnerability, control/choice, and self-worth) to explore which domain is most relevant to the target memory. The resource is intended to be used flexibly — clients should be supported in identifying a cognition that resonates with their experience, including formulating it in their own words.

This resource can be especially helpful for clients who struggle to articulate their beliefs. Clinical judgment should guide how and when it is used helpfully.

How This Resource Improves Clinical Outcomes

This resource offers practical support for therapists delivering EMDR therapy by:

Facilitating structured exploration of negative and positive self-referential beliefs.
Supporting Phase 3 assessment with language that resonates with clients' lived experience.
Enhancing collaboration through shared language and clear prompts.
Providing a flexible tool that can be adapted to meet individual client needs, especially when working with clients who struggle to articulate internal beliefs.
Contributing to treatment planning by clarifying cognitive themes that may underlie traumatic memories.

References And Further Reading

Courtois, C. A., et al. (2017). Clinical practice guideline for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults. American Psychological Association, 119.

De Jongh, A., et al. (2024). The AIP model as a theoretical framework for the treatment of personality disorders with EMDR therapy. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1331876.

EMDR Europe Practice Sub-Committee (2013). EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner Competency Based Framework. https://emdr-europe.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/EMDR-Europe-Practitioner-Forms.pdf

Hase, M., et al. (2017). The AIP model of EMDR therapy and pathogenic memories. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1578.

National Institute For Health And Care Excellence (2018). Post-Traumatic stress disorder. NICE guideline 116 (NG116).

Shapiro, F. (1995). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures. New York: Guilford Press.

Shapiro, F. (2017). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (Third Edition). Guilford Publications.