Every EMDR target is anchored by two beliefs: the negative cognition the client currently holds about themselves, and the positive cognition they'd like to hold instead. Getting these right is one of the quieter skills in EMDR — a well-chosen pair sharpens the whole reprocessing; a vague or misaimed one blunts it. This is a working reference to the common cognitions, grouped by theme, and the principles for choosing them.
What makes a good negative cognition
A usable NC is: negative, self-referential (a belief about the self, not a fact about the event), presently felt (still holds an emotional charge now), and generalizable (reaches beyond the single incident). "He hurt me" is a fact, not an NC. "I'm powerless" is a belief about the self that can be reprocessed. Steer clients from event descriptions toward the self-belief underneath.
The three themes
Most cognitions cluster into three families, and NC/PC pairs stay within the same theme:
Responsibility & defectiveness
- I'm not good enough → I'm good enough as I am
- It's my fault / I did something wrong → I did the best I could
- I'm not lovable → I am lovable / I am worthy of love
- I'm a bad person → I'm a good (or fundamentally okay) person
- I should have done something → I did what I could at the time
- I'm shameful / defective → I'm fine as I am
Safety & vulnerability
- I'm in danger → It's over; I'm safe now
- I can't trust anyone → I can choose whom to trust
- I'm not safe → I can be safe now
- I can't protect myself → I can take care of myself
Control & choice (power)
- I'm powerless / helpless → I have choices now
- I have no control → I can be in control now
- I can't stand it → I can handle it
- I'm trapped → I have options
- I can't succeed → I can succeed
Choosing and pairing them
Let the client name the belief in their own words where possible — their phrasing carries more charge than a list item. Confirm the NC is still felt now, not just intellectually endorsed. Pick the PC on the same theme as its counterpart: if the NC is about power ("I'm powerless"), the PC should be about power ("I have choices now"), not about safety. The PC should be believable as a direction — the VOC starts low precisely because it isn't felt as true yet; installation is what makes it land.
A few cautions
Avoid PCs that overreach into denial ("it never affected me") — the aim is adaptive and true, not falsely positive. Watch for clients who intellectualize a "correct" belief they don't actually feel; the work targets the felt belief, not the endorsed one. And keep the pair anchored to the specific memory — a cognition that drifts into general life philosophy loses its grip on the target. Used well, the NC/PC pair gives reprocessing a clear before-and-after: the belief that was installed, and the one the client can finally stand on.
For clinicians
A reference your clients never see — but feel
Rewire supports the between-session stability that lets positive cognitions take root — resourcing and grounding, guided and in reach.
Open the therapist portal →