EMDR worksheets, by phase.
Every EMDR worksheet you reach for in session — Calm/Safe Place, RDI, target sequence, Float-back, NC/PC list, Phase 3 assessment, Container, Light Stream, Flash, between-session log — in one place. Free EMDR worksheets, print-ready, and protocol-tight.
Calm / Safe Place
Anchor a felt-sense resource with a cue word
Walk the client through a vivid sensory image, install with slow BLS, and give them a cue word to return to between sessions.
Resource Development & Installation (RDI)
Nurturer, protector, and wise figures — installed
Help clients identify calm, nurturing, protector, and wise figures, then strengthen each with short sets of bilateral stimulation.
Target Sequence Plan
Past, present, future — sequenced for reprocessing
Organize touchstone memories, current triggers, and future templates into a clean treatment plan you can work through in order.
Float-Back & Affect Bridge
Trace a present trigger to its earliest memory
Use body sensation and the negative cognition as the bridge from a current activation back to the touchstone event.
Negative & Positive Cognitions List
Responsibility, safety, choice — at a glance
Categorized reference of common NCs and matched PCs to support accurate Phase 3 assessment without losing momentum.
Phase 3 Assessment Script
Image, NC, PC, VoC, emotion, SUDs, body
A clean one-page script for setting up a target — image, cognitions, VoC, emotion, SUDs, and body location — without losing the thread.
EMDR Container Install
Close incomplete sessions safely
Help clients visualize a container to hold remaining material between sessions, with installation language and a reopening protocol.
Light Stream Technique
Body-focused closure for residual disturbance
A guided body-scan and imagery script for releasing leftover somatic charge before ending a session.
Flash Technique Worksheet
Low-intensity preparation for high-charge memories
A structured worksheet for using the Flash Technique to reduce disturbance before formal reprocessing.
Between-Session Log
Track dreams, triggers, and new material
A simple client log for noting what comes up between sessions — dreams, body sensations, new memories, shifts in cognition.
What EMDR worksheets do
EMDR is a phase-driven protocol. Each phase has its own work: Phase 2 builds resources (Calm Place, RDI, Container, Light Stream) so the nervous system has somewhere to land before reprocessing begins. Phase 3 assesses the target — image, negative cognition, positive cognition, VOC, emotion, SUDs, body location — and the assessment is itself an intervention. Phases 4–6 reprocess, install, and body-scan. Phase 7 closes the session safely. Phase 8 reevaluates next time.
The worksheets in this library are the one-page formats that hold each of those phases. They keep the protocol intact when the room gets activated, give the client something concrete to take home, and make consultation conversations specific instead of vague.
Phase 2 — resourcing and stabilization
Calm/Safe Place is the foundation: a vivid, sensory-rich image the client can return to between sets and between sessions. RDI (Resource Development and Installation) extends this to specific qualities the client needs more of — courage, calm, a wise figure — installed with short bilateral sets. Container holds material the client isn't ready to process yet. Light Stream is the body-based regulation tool for residual sensation at the end of a session.
Do not skip Phase 2. The biggest EMDR rookie mistake is going to target before the client has accessible resources — the work flips into retraumatization fast when there is nowhere safe to come back to.
Phase 3 — target assessment
The Phase 3 Assessment worksheet walks through every element in order: representative image, negative cognition (the felt belief, not the rational thought), positive cognition the client would prefer, VOC 1–7, emotion, SUDs 0–10, body location. The Float-back from the present trigger to the earliest related memory is its own worksheet — it surfaces the touchstone the present-day pattern is rooted in. The NC/PC list gives the client (and you) the standard menu of negative/positive cognition pairs.
Get the assessment tight and reprocessing usually runs cleanly. Get it loose and you spend phases 4–6 chasing an unclear target.
Between sessions
EMDR keeps working between sessions — new memories surface, dreams shift, SUDs continue to drop. The EMDR Between-Session Log captures sleep, dreams, new associations, body shifts, and SUDs drift for the target. Phase 8 reevaluation goes much faster when the client has been logging.
Free to print, free to send
Every worksheet is free to download as PDF and free to send to clients via secure link from your TherapistAssist account. No watermarks, no per-sheet limits. Built for clinicians who care how the page looks.
Frequently asked questions
What are EMDR worksheets?+
EMDR worksheets are structured one-page handouts that operationalize the 8-phase EMDR protocol — resourcing (Calm Place, RDI, Container, Light Stream), Phase 2 stabilization, Phase 3 target assessment (NC/PC, VOC, SUDs, body scan), the Float-back to identify earlier targets, and between-session logs for tracking what comes up between reprocessing sets. Each worksheet turns a phase-specific intervention into a concrete page the client (or clinician) can fill in.
Which EMDR worksheet should I start with?+
Start with Calm/Safe Place in Phase 2 — every EMDR client needs a resource state before reprocessing begins. Add Container next for residual material between sessions. Once stabilization is in place, the Target Sequence Plan organizes Phase 3 onward: present trigger, the touchstone memory it links back to via Float-back, and the future template. The Phase 3 Assessment worksheet keeps the protocol tight session-to-session.
Are these EMDR worksheets free?+
Yes. Every EMDR worksheet on this page is free to download as a clean printable PDF and free to send to a client via secure link from a TherapistAssist account. No watermarks, no per-sheet limits.
Can I send EMDR worksheets to clients between sessions?+
Yes. Sign in and any worksheet on this page can be sent as a secure portal link; the client fills it out on their phone and the response comes back to your dashboard. The Between-Session Log was specifically designed for the gap between reprocessing sessions — sleep, dreams, new associations, SUDs drift.
Are these worksheets EMDRIA-compliant?+
The worksheets follow Francine Shapiro's standard 8-phase protocol as taught in EMDRIA-approved basic training. They are tools for trained EMDR clinicians — they do not substitute for EMDR training, consultation, or certification. If you are not EMDR-trained, do not use these for reprocessing work; the resourcing sheets (Calm Place, Container, Light Stream) are safe for general stabilization use.
Do these cover Phase 8 reevaluation and complex cases?+
The library covers Phases 1–7 in depth. Phase 8 reevaluation work, dissociation screening, and protocol modifications for complex trauma (R-TEP, DeTUR, EMD restricted) are on the roadmap — request a specific worksheet via the feedback link if you need it next.