The Library and the River
Imagine your mind as a vast library filled with hundreds of books, each representing an experience or memory from your life. Some books are illustrated, some are text, some are very long, and some are just a few sentences. Every genre is represented—comedy, tragedy, romance…
Most of the books are well-organized, neatly placed on the shelves. However, some books, those representing traumatic memories and experiences, are scattered on the floor, their pages open and exposed, causing disorder and disruption in the library.
The librarian, representing your conscious mind, struggles to maintain order and is constantly tripping over these scattered books. She finds it challenging to perform her duties, feeling frustrated and thwarted by how difficult it is to manage these books, which stubbornly remain open.
Eventually, she calls in the archivists, who bring with them special tools and techniques—representing EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy—to assist her. These archivists help her pick up each book, review its content, and process it using bilateral stimulation (left–right movement or tapping), gently settling the words into order so that the book can be closed and returned to its proper place on the shelves, becoming part of the library’s collection.
The books are still there, available for reference if needed, but they no longer dominate the space or create disruption. The librarian, your conscious mind, can now focus on the present, explore new ideas, and enjoy a more peaceful, orderly environment.
Now, imagine your mind as a flowing river, steadily moving through the landscape of your life. Most of your experiences float along without issue, merging seamlessly into the flow. However, occasionally, a traumatic event occurs, much like a massive boulder crashing into the river. This boulder disrupts the flow, causing turbulence and blocking the natural progression of the water.
In this metaphor, the traumatic memory is the boulder, and the river represents the continuous stream of your experiences and thoughts. The boulder’s presence creates a blockage, generating whirlpools and eddies that disrupt the river’s flow. Similarly, a traumatic memory can become “stuck” in your mind, continuously causing emotional and psychological distress.
EMDR acts like a skilled team of workers equipped with tools to break down and remove the boulder. They guide you through the process of safely examining the boulder while engaging in bilateral stimulation, which facilitates the reprocessing of the traumatic memory. This process is akin to the workers chipping away at the boulder, reducing its size and impact.
The once-solid boulder begins to break apart and is gradually reduced to smaller, more manageable pieces. The water, representing your thoughts and emotions, begins to flow smoothly once more. The smaller pieces of the boulder might still be present in the river, but they no longer cause significant disruption. Similarly, the traumatic memory may still exist, but it no longer holds the same emotional charge or power it once did.
The library and river metaphors capture the essence of EMDR therapy: it’s not about removing the books or erasing the boulder but about reorganizing them so they are no longer disruptive. By reprocessing traumatic memories, EMDR helps integrate them into your broader life narrative so that they are no longer a source of constant distress but have become a part of the landscape—acknowledged and understood without dominating the present.