Future template: rehearsing success in EMDR

A future template is an EMDR technique for imagining a specific upcoming situation, then rehearsing handling it well. A therapist and client pick the scene, pair it with a wanted belief, and use bilateral stimulation to strengthen that pairing. It’s the third “prong” of EMDR’s past-present-future protocol, used once earlier trauma memories and present triggers have settled.

Where does it fit in EMDR’s protocol?

EMDR often follows what’s called the three-pronged protocol: past memories that set a problem in motion, present situations that still trigger it, and a future scenario someone wants to handle differently. Per the EMDR International Association, future template work starts only once earlier memories and present triggers feel resolved enough for the client to consider new choices. The goal isn’t just positive thinking; it’s meant to catch any leftover fear or doubt still standing in the way.

How does a future template actually work?

The client pictures the exact situation ahead, like walking into an interview or having a hard conversation. They name a positive cognition, the belief they’d like to hold while it happens, such as “I can handle this.” Holding the image and belief together, bilateral stimulation strengthens the pairing, the same installation mechanism EMDR uses to lock in other new beliefs. The therapist then has the client mentally run the whole scene like a video, start to finish, watching for any part that still feels distressing. Anything that snags gets reprocessed before the rehearsal continues.

What is a future template used for?

Future templates are a standard part of EMDR’s phobia protocol, rehearsing a calmer encounter with the feared situation once the memory behind it has settled. They also show up in addiction treatment. A 2019 feasibility study in the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research built future templates and mental-rehearsal videos into an addiction-focused EMDR protocol for alcohol use disorder. Feasibility studies test whether an approach is workable, not whether it works, so this counts as an early, promising signal rather than proof.

Can you rehearse a future moment on your own?

The clinical version, tied to a specific processed trauma memory, is a therapist’s judgment call, not a do-it-yourself step. But naming an upcoming everyday moment, deciding how you’d like to feel walking into it, and pairing that feeling with bilateral stimulation is something you can practice for yourself. That’s close to what EmEase, a self-guided EMDR app, is built around: practicing bilateral stimulation on your own time at app.emease.com. See self-guided EMDR for where the do-it-yourself version’s limits sit.