Many people assume that everyone visualises their memories.
Ask someone to recall a childhood birthday, and we often imagine a vivid picture appearing in their mind — the cake, the room, the people standing around them.
But for some people, this simply isn’t how memory works. And that’s why it feels important for us to consider Aphantasia and EMDR.
Instead of visual images, memories may be experienced through words, sensations, emotions, or narrative understanding. This experience is known as aphantasia — the inability to voluntarily visualise mental images. Many people assume everyone vis…
For clinicians working with trauma, this can raise an important question:
If a client cannot “see” memories, does this limit EMDR therapy?
The short answer is: not at all.
Discovering Aphantasia and EMDR in Therapy
Many therapists only encounter the concept of aphantasia when a client says something like:
“I don’t really see anything when I think about memories.”
Sometimes clinicians realise something even more surprising — they themselves experience memory in the same way.
In training and supervision, this discovery often brings a sense of relief. People realise that the way they experience their mind is simply one variation of human cognition, not a limitation. Many people assume everyone vis…
Understanding this variation is important because therapy works best when it aligns with how a client naturally processes experience.
Does Aphantasia Limit EMDR?
Fortunately, EMDR therapy does not rely on visual imagery.
EMDR is fundamentally about:
- Activating a memory network
- Holding dual attention between past and present
- Allowing the brain’s natural processing system to integrate the experience
Imagery is simply one pathway into a memory network — not the only one.
Clients may access memories through:
- Inner dialogue or words
- Body sensations
- Sounds
- Emotional tone
- Conceptual knowing or narrative meaning
What matters in EMDR is meaningful activation of the memory network, not whether the client can “see” the memory. Many people assume everyone vis…
Story, Sensation, and Meaning
This is also why many EMDR exercises work well even for clients who do not visualise. You can find out more about training in EMDR here
Take the Safe Place exercise, for example.
Some clients may imagine a detailed scene. But others experience safety through:
- A sense of bodily calm
- A feeling of warmth or grounding
- Sensory awareness
- A narrative sense of being safe
The brain does not require pictures to experience safety or regulation. Many people assume everyone vis…
Safety can emerge through story, sensation, and meaning, not only through visual imagery.
Working in a Neurodiversity-Informed Way
A simple but powerful clinical habit is to ask clients:
- “How do you tend to remember things?”
- “Do you see pictures, or is it more words, sensations, or impressions?”
These questions help us understand a client’s natural processing style.
When therapists adapt their approach to the way a person’s mind works, therapy becomes:
- More respectful
- More effective
- More attuned
This is an important part of neurodiversity-informed practice. Many people assume everyone vis…
The Mindsync Perspective
At Mindsync EMDR Training, we emphasise flexibility, curiosity, and clinical attunement.
There is no single “correct” way for a mind to work.
Different people access memory through different channels — imagery, language, sensation, emotion, or abstract understanding.
Our role as therapists is not to force clients into one pathway. Find out more about the Mindsync training here.
Instead, it is to apply the EMDR protocol intelligently and responsively, meeting each person where they are.
Different minds.
Different pathways.
The same capacity to heal.
Written by Caroline van Diest
Caroline van Diest – is our Senior trainer. Having started her career as a learning disabilities nurse in the NHS, she trained initially in CBT before starting her EMDR journey. Caroline has worked for many years delivering EMDR training for therapists. She is the co-founder of Mindsync EMDR Training. She is a dynamic trainer, with an interest in storytelling. Caroline likes our delegates to have a clear understanding of EMDR. She will use a lot of clinical examples and story telling in her teaching. There is never a dull moment when Caroline is teaching! Caroline has a special interest in working with neurodiversity, when she is not delivering training Caroline sees clients for 1-1 work as well as running many supervision sessions and fitting in the odd pottery class!
Dr Hannah Bryan – is our Trainer & Consultant. She started her career in the NHS as a Clinical Psychologist. Hannah worked in secondary mental health services. She started her EMDR journey in 2005 and has seen the positive impact EMDR has on clients where other types of therapy seemed very slow going.
She is the co-founder of Mindsync EMDR training. Hannah is really passionate about supporting delegates to grow their confidence and skill in EMDR. Hannah has a special interest in using EMDR within a coaching framework, she also sees clients struggling with their mental health due to their past experiences as well as providing supervision in EMDR.