Positive cognition in EMDR: definition and examples

A positive cognition (PC) is the healthier, more adaptive belief someone wants to feel true about a distressing memory — the replacement for a negative cognition like “I’m not safe.” EMDR names it in the assessment phase, then strengthens it with bilateral stimulation in the installation phase, tracking progress on the 1-to-7 VOC scale.

Where does the term come from?

Psychologist Francine Shapiro laid out this belief pairing in her 1989 study in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, introducing the procedure that became EMDR. Per EMDRIA, the EMDR International Association, a positive cognition is chosen during assessment, the third of EMDR’s eight phases. Alongside a target memory and its negative cognition, the client names the belief they’d rather hold instead, then rates how true it currently feels on the VOC scale: 1 (completely false) to 7 (completely true).

What do positive cognitions look like?

They’re short, present-tense, first-person statements, phrased to be felt rather than argued for. Common examples cluster around a few themes:

• Safety: “I’m safe now.” “It’s over.”
• Control: “I can handle it.” “I’m in control now.”
• Worth: “I’m a good person.” “I did the best I could.”

A workable positive cognition doesn’t need to feel true yet. Someone might rate “I’m safe now” a 2 out of 7 at the start of a session. The installation phase uses more rounds of bilateral stimulation to help that number climb.

How is it different from a negative cognition?

They’re paired opposites tied to the same memory. The negative cognition is the distorted, self-blaming belief the memory currently holds in place, something like “I’m powerless.” The positive cognition is the more accurate belief the person would rather carry forward. EMDR’s assessment phase names both before reprocessing starts, so there’s a clear direction to work toward.

Can you work with this on your own?

Naming a belief you’d like to feel more true, then pairing it with bilateral stimulation, is something anyone can practice. Choosing which memory is safe to pair it with, especially for real trauma, is a therapist’s judgment call, not a do-it-yourself step. EmEase, a self-guided EMDR app, offers the guided version of the technique: bilateral stimulation for everyday stress at app.emease.com, rather than processing a specific traumatic memory alone. See self-guided EMDR for the broader limits of practicing without a therapist.