1. Identify target event vaguely so as not to distress, provide key skills for future health... 2. Prep - relaxation techniques + education about therapy itself (EMDR), establish trust... 3. assessment e.g. Level of belief in statement "I am safe"... 4. Desensitization: patient makes eye movements to follow therapists instruction, all the while thinking about the traumatic event, "bilateral stimulation"... 5-8: install positive beliefs, rate again, increase sense of control, remind what has been achieved