Body Scan and Session Closure

Sweep attention through the body after processing to catch residual tension before closing the session.

Why it works

Trauma is stored somatically as well as cognitively: autonomic arousal, muscular tension, and interoceptive patterns are part of the memory trace. The body scan ensures that processing has cleared not just the cognitive and emotional channels but also the somatic residue — otherwise, a "cleared" memory may still carry a physical cue that reactivates distress outside the session. Closure returns the nervous system to a regulated baseline before the session ends.

How to do it

1. With the target memory and positive cognition in mind, slowly scan your attention from head to feet.
2. Notice any remaining tension, tightness, or discomfort.
3. If anything is found, run additional bilateral-stimulation sets until it resolves.
4. Use the safe-place exercise or controlled breathing to return to calm baseline.
5. Log any incomplete material (lingering images or emotions) in a journal for the next session.

Evidence

Somatic dimensions of trauma are well-documented in trauma research. The body-scan and closure phase is a clinical standard of EMDR practice, embedded in the validated protocol. The trauma literature synthesizing how the body registers and holds traumatic experience grounds why scanning for somatic residue matters: a memory can read as cognitively resolved while a physical cue still carries it. (clinical)

The body-scan closure step has not been separately trialed; its rationale is clinically established and somatically grounded rather than independently RCT-tested.

Sources

• van der Kolk (2014), "The Body Keeps the Score", describes somatic trauma storage — general support for body-based closure
• van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. New York: Viking.

Common mistake

Ending a session without closing properly — leaving the trauma memory active and unsettled can cause distress to resurface acutely between sessions.