It happens alot in EMDR that we target a recent trauma and lo and behold, up pops an early experience that is filed in the same mental shoebox.

We usually recommend going in first to the underlying event because it is foundational. Then we go do the recent one if it still is causing disturbance.

If a client insists that the present trauma is in his/her face and that's the problem then the clinician likely goes with that one. In the middle of it, the old one may come up if it is actually foundational.