Enhancing EMDR with Story-Writing
Deepening the Healing Process
EMDR is not story-driven. Why look at incorporating story-writing with EMDR if EMDR isn’t about the narrative, but rather how memories are stored in the implicit memory? But what if writing a story could unlock deeper processing?
As an EMDR-trained therapist, you know that the story is contained in emotions and somatic sensations. For children, it can be difficult to make sense of those feelings and sensations. When my daughter, for example, has a lot of mixed-up feelings, she typically picks on her little brother in order to tell me. Imagine your mind is like a big puzzle. When something scary or upsetting happens, the puzzle pieces don’t fit as they should and the puzzle doesn’t make sense anymore. Creating a story helps a child find the box to the puzzle and remember the full picture. Adding DAS (Dual Attention Stimulation), helps your client find those scattered pieces and gently put them back in the right place
Children’s memories gradually build their puzzle on the development of a sense of self. This unfolds over time. Trauma (or difficult and painful events) disrupt the cohesive narrative of one’s life – one’s sense of self. Story-writing can restore the narrative. It enhances the processing of memories and negative beliefs that EMDR is built upon.
As discussed in my other post The Neuroscience of Storytelling, using story-writing engages both the reader and listener. This simply enhances the process in a relational way, between the therapist and client (and caregiver if present). The story can set up a template for what “good and healthy” looks like, that can be integrated into the child’s adaptive networks.
As we continue to refine our EMDR practice, let’s consider how the stories our clients carry and tell can become part of the healing journey.
If story writing through EMDR could help someone in your life, reach out to me for more information.
If you’re an EMDR therapist eager to explore how storytelling and EMDR therapy can help children heal, consider signing up for my EMDR & Storywriting Training. In this workshop, you'll learn how to harness the power of stories to support trauma recovery. Join me today and help children rediscover hope—one story at a time.