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    Writing/Glossary
    Glossary

    EMDR & coaching, in plain language.

    Terms you'll see across Floatback's writing, defined without jargon. Use the links to deep-link a single definition from anywhere.

    EMDR

    Also known as: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

    A structured, eight-phase therapy developed by Francine Shapiro for processing hard memories. The work centers a single difficult experience and uses bilateral stimulation (eye movements, gentle taps, or tones) while you bring the memory to mind, so the body's old reaction to it softens.
    In FloatbackFloatback uses the same eight-phase structure in a self-guided form. It is not clinical EMDR (that's the work of licensed clinicians), but the protocol is genuinely drawn from EMDR research.

    Bilateral stimulation

    Also known as: BLS

    A back-and-forth left/right input (eyes following a moving dot, alternating taps, or alternating tones) used during EMDR while you hold a memory in mind. The leading account is that it occupies working memory, which softens the memory's intensity.
    In FloatbackIn Floatback, this is the eye-movement form: you follow a gentle dot across the screen, paced calmly. (EMDR can also use taps or tones; Floatback uses the moving dot.)

    Target memory

    The single experience a session works with. EMDR processes one memory at a time. Not the entire history, not everything that's hard. Picking a target is the first step of Phase 3.
    In FloatbackFloatback walks you through choosing a target (what comes up, what's in the body, what the belief underneath is) before anything else happens.

    Negative belief

    Also known as: Negative cognition (NC)

    The short, present-tense statement about yourself that the target memory makes you believe. For example, "I'm not safe," or "I'm not enough." Naming it is part of preparing to process the memory.
    In FloatbackFloatback doesn't use the clinical term in conversation. It asks plainly: "What does this make you believe about yourself, right now?"

    Positive belief

    Also known as: Positive cognition (PC)

    The truer, present-tense statement you'd rather hold. For example, "I am safe now," or "I am enough." In EMDR's Phase 5 (installation), the positive belief is strengthened once the original distress has come down.
    In FloatbackFloatback uses plain phrasing here too, usually some version of "what would you rather know about yourself instead?"

    Distress rating

    Also known as: SUD (Subjective Units of Distress)

    A self-report 0-to-10 score of how distressing the target memory feels right now. EMDR clinicians use it as a checkpoint between sets of bilateral stimulation; when the number is at 0 or 1, the memory has "processed."
    In FloatbackFloatback asks for the rating in casual language ("how loud is this right now, zero to ten?") and shows the trend so you can see things shifting.

    Belief strength

    Also known as: VOC (Validity of Cognition)

    A self-report 1-to-7 score of how true the positive belief feels in your body, not your head. EMDR uses it in Phase 5 to know when the new belief is genuinely landing.
    In FloatbackFloatback shows this as a simple slider with plain endpoints: "doesn't feel true yet" to "feels completely true."

    Preparation

    Also known as: Phase 2

    Building the skills you'll lean on before processing: a calm place you can visualize, a container for things that come up between sessions, and basic grounding skills. Phase 2 is not optional; it's the safety floor for everything after.
    In FloatbackFloatback walks you through preparation before any target work. You can also revisit it any time the room feels too loud.

    Processing

    Also known as: Phase 4 / desensitization

    The repeated sets of bilateral stimulation that gradually soften the target memory's distress. Between sets the clinician asks what came up; you say what you notice; the next set begins.
    In FloatbackFloatback does this as a conversation: a set, a check-in, a next set. The pace is yours. You can always stop.

    Installation

    Also known as: Phase 5

    Once distress has come down, the work strengthens the positive belief, repeating it with continued bilateral stimulation until it feels true in the body, not just the head.

    Body scan

    Also known as: Phase 6

    A check for residual tension or sensation after installation. If anything is still held in the body, the work returns to it. EMDR treats the body's report as primary, not a metaphor.

    Closure

    Also known as: Phase 7

    The intentional wind-down at the end of a session: re-grounding, naming what was useful, putting anything still in motion safely back in the container until next time. EMDR sessions don't end abruptly.
    In FloatbackFloatback always closes a session deliberately, even when distress is already low. You're never left in mid-process.

    Reevaluation

    Also known as: Phase 8

    The check at the start of the next session: what came up between, what shifted, what's still loud. Reevaluation tells the protocol whether the previous target is done or needs another round.

    Dissociation

    The mind's protective reflex of stepping back from the body or the moment when something is too much. Mild forms feel like "checking out" or "foggy"; stronger forms feel like watching yourself from outside.
    In FloatbackFloatback screens for dissociation before any processing and pauses the work if it shows up mid-session. Safety isn't an add-on.

    Grounding

    A skill for bringing your attention back into the present body when it has spiked: feeling your feet on the floor, naming five things you see, slowing the exhale. Grounding isn't a vibe; it's a learned reset.
    In FloatbackFloatback has a grounding exit you can hit from inside any session.

    Container

    A visualized place where you put things that come up between sessions and aren't ready to be worked on yet. Built in Phase 2, used throughout.

    Window of tolerance

    The zone where you're activated enough to do the work but not so activated that you can't stay present. Above the window: overwhelmed. Below: shut down. EMDR works inside the window.

    Self-guided

    Work you do without a clinician on the other side. Floatback is self-guided coaching. The structure is the same as a real method, but you're the one in the driver's seat.
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