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One dilemma we can all experience is getting the logical and emotional parts of ourselves to have a discussion. What we know and what we feel can often have a large gap. What we know can be apparent whereas what we feel can be murky and confusing towards what we know. An overarching goal in therapy is to move these two voices of thought and emotion closer to each other where they are integrated. To where one part recognizes the other and appreciates what each part does.

We need emotions to inform us when something is right or wrong and we need logic to predict what can happen with choices we make. It’s not abnormal for one part to overwhelm the other part. Thoughts overwhelming emotions can manifest with an inability to accept emotions. Emotions overwhelming thoughts can manifest with impulsive decision making.

Eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) can be the means to introduce these conflicting parts of self to each other and give each its own space and voice while simultaneously bringing each part to the negotiating table to broker a path forward. EMDR can be a more contemplative approach at times. There is no talking but from either eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation talking does not hinder the ability to observe.

There are competing theories for why EMDR works without a conclusive theory being decided upon. In a basic sense, the hemispheres of the brain are being activated. The left controlling for logic and the right controlling for emotion. (This is an oversimplified illustration, we now know each hemisphere shares the other parts duties at times.)

What isn’t occurring in an EMDR session is the ability to self-censor or get caught in finding the right words to accurately describe what is being experienced. Working with clients I have seen the following basic patterns: streams of consciousness, emotional reactions, and even somatic experiences. It really depends on how you’re wired!

Through EMDR an uneasy conversation can be started within ourselves. This uneasiness tends to give way towards an integrated view of self. In essence, what we think and feel can fit together and that gap decreases. The end result can be an integrated self and one that you are able to accept versus being in the cycle of self-loathing and self-doubt.

It’s an amazing process to watch unfold as a therapist as clients tell me what they are noticing and how they are shifting through those mental and emotional ghosts of the past while noticing thoughts and emotions come together. That part of us that completely blames ourselves for a situation begins to recognize certain facets of the situation weren’t completely our fault, if at all, especially in childhood. But the beauty is we have emotions and logic coming together and working as a singular voice. That singular voice becomes a new narrative where each part is working together and not fighting internally and perhaps the past, present and future become less daunting.