Body scan in EMDR: definition and purpose

The body scan is Phase 6 of EMDR therapy: after a target memory’s distress has eased and a positive belief has been strengthened, the client holds both in mind while mentally scanning the body from head to toe. Any leftover tension or discomfort found there is treated with more bilateral stimulation until it settles.

Where does the body scan fit in EMDR’s 8 phases?

Per EMDRIA, the EMDR International Association, the body scan is the sixth of EMDR’s eight phases. It comes right after installation, where bilateral stimulation strengthens a chosen positive belief, and right before closure, where the session winds down whether or not reprocessing is finished. Desensitization, installation, and the body scan all lean on the same tool, aimed at something different each time: bringing distress down, building a belief up, then checking what the body is still holding onto.

What actually happens during a body scan?

The client holds the target memory and the positive belief together in mind while attention moves slowly through the body, head to toe, noticing anything that still feels tight, tense, or uncomfortable. If something shows up, the therapist runs further sets of bilateral stimulation aimed at that specific sensation until it settles. A scan that turns up nothing, with the memory and belief both held steady, is considered complete. If tension lingers when the session needs to end, the therapist still moves to closure so the client leaves grounded, and picks the thread back up at the start of the next session.

Why does EMDR check the body, not just the mind?

Per EMDRIA, a memory can reach a place of mental acceptance while the body still holds onto unresolved physical sensation tied to it, in the form of tension or discomfort. The body scan exists to catch that gap. Skipping it can leave a memory feeling resolved in conversation while a version of its physical charge is still sitting in the shoulders, stomach, or jaw.

Is this the same as a body scan meditation?

No, though the shared name causes real confusion. A body scan meditation is a stand-alone relaxation practice taught in many meditation programs: you quietly notice sensations part by part, head to toe, without any particular memory in mind. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being found a body scan meditation used alone has, at best, a small effect on outcomes like stress and mindfulness. EMDR’s body scan is a different thing entirely: a short check embedded inside memory reprocessing, tied to one specific target and belief, with bilateral stimulation used to clear whatever it finds.

Can you do a body scan on your own?

Not the formal version. It depends on a memory already carried through several earlier, therapist-guided phases, so it isn’t a stand-alone step to add to a self-guided practice. What carries over is the underlying habit: noticing what your body is holding, before and after a bilateral-stimulation practice, instead of paying attention only to your thoughts. Self-guided EMDR leans on that same rhythm for everyday tension, without the full clinical protocol behind it.

EmEase, a self-guided EMDR app, offers that bilateral-stimulation practice at app.emease.com.