The Distancing Approach was initially developed using EMDR targets that had an over-importance of thoughts, the need to control thoughts and the thought-action fusion. It also targeted the misinterpretation of sensation as predictive of future catastrophe.

The goal of this technique is for the client to become a detached observer to his/her thoughts, sensations, images, and/or urges.  For example, to understand that the obsession is a thought and not real, to gain distance from the thought, and put it aside.  Interweaves, which come from the client’s own words as expressed in the Preparation Phase, are used in the EMDR protocol to process the initial, worst, most recent and current triggers. The types of interweaves created by clients are reviewed in detail.  When appropriate, patient cases are examined to highlight how different interweaves are useful in all phases of Distancing. The online course goes through all phases of EMDR treatment and uses videos to demonstrate the technique.