🧩 TICES LOG
Tracking Triggers, Images, Cognitions, Emotions, Sensations
From Ashley Russell, EMDR Therapist | emdrbristol.org
🧭 What Is a TICES Log?
A TICES log is a simple tool for building awareness or triggers/flashbacks and helping to bring back your reflective stance.
It helps you notice patterns in how distress shows up — and how you can regulate or ground in response.
This is not about analysing or judging — it’s about observing and tracking.
🪞 How to Use It
When you notice a change in mood, distress, or activation, jot down what’s happening in the moment.
Try to fill it in soon after the trigger or as you realise you are triggered.
Keep entries brief — just enough to capture what you noticed.
T is for Trigger
What happened? What set things off? (An event, thought, or internal feeling)
I is for Image
What image, memory, or snapshot flashed through your mind?
C is for Cognition
What did you tell yourself? (e.g., “I can’t handle this,” “I’m not safe.”)
E is for Emotion
What feelings came up? (Sadness, fear, anger, guilt, etc.)
S is for Sensation
What did you notice in your body? (Tight chest, frozen, buzzing, numb, etc.)
🪶 Example
Trigger - An email came in from my manager marked “urgent
Image - Seeing their name in my inbox
Cognition - “I must have done something wrong”
Emotion - Anxious, tense
Sensation - Shoulders tight, heart racing
🕊️ Optional Reflection
After recording:
📄 Download this as a printable PDF:
👉 TICES Log – Ashley Russell
✨ Credits
The TICES framework is a standard EMDR self-monitoring tool (adapted from Shapiro’s Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures).
🖋 Created by Ashley Russell, EMDR Therapist | emdrbristol.org
Feel free to share this with clients, friends, or anyone who needs it — just keep the credit and the care.
Tracking Triggers, Images, Cognitions, Emotions, Sensations
From Ashley Russell, EMDR Therapist | emdrbristol.org
🧭 What Is a TICES Log?
A TICES log is a simple tool for building awareness or triggers/flashbacks and helping to bring back your reflective stance.
It helps you notice patterns in how distress shows up — and how you can regulate or ground in response.
This is not about analysing or judging — it’s about observing and tracking.
🪞 How to Use It
When you notice a change in mood, distress, or activation, jot down what’s happening in the moment.
Try to fill it in soon after the trigger or as you realise you are triggered.
Keep entries brief — just enough to capture what you noticed.
T is for Trigger
What happened? What set things off? (An event, thought, or internal feeling)
I is for Image
What image, memory, or snapshot flashed through your mind?
C is for Cognition
What did you tell yourself? (e.g., “I can’t handle this,” “I’m not safe.”)
E is for Emotion
What feelings came up? (Sadness, fear, anger, guilt, etc.)
S is for Sensation
What did you notice in your body? (Tight chest, frozen, buzzing, numb, etc.)
🪶 Example
Trigger - An email came in from my manager marked “urgent
Image - Seeing their name in my inbox
Cognition - “I must have done something wrong”
Emotion - Anxious, tense
Sensation - Shoulders tight, heart racing
🕊️ Optional Reflection
After recording:
- Can you notice whether you were within or outside your Window of Tolerance?
- What helped you return to your window?
- Any grounding, breathing, or support that helped you recover?
📄 Download this as a printable PDF:
👉 TICES Log – Ashley Russell
✨ Credits
The TICES framework is a standard EMDR self-monitoring tool (adapted from Shapiro’s Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures).
🖋 Created by Ashley Russell, EMDR Therapist | emdrbristol.org
Feel free to share this with clients, friends, or anyone who needs it — just keep the credit and the care.