EMDR 2.0 Dual-Task Menu & Load Ladder (Free PDF)
25 dual tasks graded by working-memory load — visual, arithmetic, auditory, motor — with escalation rules for finding the sweet spot.
Free PDF for EMDR clinicians. Get it by email.
What's inside
A single-page ladder of 25 dual tasks graded by working-memory load (1–8) across four channels — visual (multi-direction eye movements, tracking), arithmetic (serial 7s, alphabetised counting), auditory (tone counting, backwards spelling), and motor (butterfly-hug variants, alternating taps). Escalation rules on page 2 tell you when to move up (flat SUD) and when to move down (image loss, dissociation).
How to use it
Keep alongside the Phase 4 script during your first EMDR 2.0 cases. Log which task and level you used per set on the Titration Worksheet.
Related on the EMDR guide
Frequently asked questions
Do I always start at the highest load?
No. Start at level 3–4 and titrate up if SUD is flat and image is intact; drop down if vividness collapses or dissociation appears.
Is this menu evidence-based?
The tasks are drawn from published EMDR 2.0 protocols (Matthijssen, van Veen, van den Hout). References on the last page.
References
- Andrade, J., Kavanagh, D., & Baddeley, A. (1997). Eye movements and visual imagery: A working memory approach to the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 36(2), 209–223.
- Engelhard, I. M., van den Hout, M. A., & Smeets, M. A. M. (2011). Taxing working memory reduces vividness and emotional intensity of images about the Queen's Day tragedy. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 42(1), 32–37.
- Matthijssen, S. J. M. A., Lee, C. W., de Roos, C., et al. (2020). The current status of EMDR therapy, specific target areas, and goals for the future. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 14(4), 241–284.
- Matthijssen, S. J. M. A., Brouwers, T., van Roozendaal, C., Vuister, T., & de Jongh, A. (2021). The effect of EMDR versus EMDR 2.0 on emotionality and vividness of aversive memories in a non-clinical sample. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1), 1956793.
- van Veen, S. C., van Schie, K., Wijngaards-de Meij, L. D., Littel, M., Engelhard, I. M., & van den Hout, M. A. (2015). Speed matters: Relationship between speed of eye movements and modification of aversive autobiographical memories. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 6, 45.
- van den Hout, M. A., & Engelhard, I. M. (2012). How does EMDR work? Journal of Experimental Psychopathology, 3(5), 724–738.