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What happens when a client says they cannot visualize during EMDR therapy?

In this video, Elena Engle, EMDRIA-approved EMDR Trainer and Consultant, shares a fascinating moment from a recent EMDR session that highlights something many therapists encounter. A client initially believed she could not picture images in her mind. When asked to imagine something simple, like a cat, she explained that she would only see the word spelled out rather than an image.

For many therapists new to EMDR, this can raise concerns about whether reprocessing will work.

But EMDR does not require visual imagery. The brain can process experiences through thoughts, body sensations, emotions, or symbolic imagery that emerges naturally during reprocessing.

As the session unfolded, the client began experiencing powerful metaphorical scenes involving forests, animals, and transformation. These images reflected the deeper emotional work taking place around a core belief that “I don’t matter.” As reprocessing continued, the metaphors evolved. A trapped mouse eventually found a new path, tunneling through the tree and emerging into the sunlight. Later, the imagery shifted again to a butterfly emerging from a cocoon.

By the end of the session, the client was describing her experience from the perspective of the butterfly, expressing a sense of freedom and transformation.

Moments like this highlight something important for EMDR therapists: the brain often knows exactly how to process distressing experiences when we allow the system to do its work. Even when the process initially seems unusual or confusing, powerful adaptive shifts can occur when therapists trust the reprocessing process.

If you are an EMDR therapist, have you ever seen clients process through metaphor or symbolic imagery like this?