The Power of Imagination and Attachment
Using Imagination in Attachment-Based Resourcing
Imagination can be a valuable tool in EMDR therapy, particularly when working with clients who have experienced attachment trauma or neglect. For those with attachment wounds or 'trauma by omission' (i.e., the absence of crucial elements such as validation and emotional attunement from caregivers), imaginal resourcing can help build new internal experiences of nurturance, safety, and connection that may have been missing in childhood. By harnessing visualisation, therapists can guide clients in strengthening a sense of internal nurturance, safety, and the capacity to self-soothe.
The Neuroscience Behind Imagination
Research supports the idea that imagination can create real and meaningful neural changes. A fascinating study, "Playing Piano in the Mind—An fMRI Study on Music Imagery and Performance in Pianists" (Meister et al., 2004), found that when pianists imagined playing the piano, the same brain areas were activated as when they physically played. This suggests that the brain does not always distinguish between real and imagined experiences. Essentially, the brain can respond to vivid imagination as if it’s actually happening, meaning that imagined experiences can influence emotions, perceptions, and even physiological responses in meaningful ways.
How Imaginal Resourcing Supports EMDR Therapy
By harnessing the power of imagination, imaginal resourcing interventions in EMDR therapy can help clients develop a greater sense of internal safety, stability, and support. These interventions allow clients to create and strengthen internal experiences of nurturance, safety, and the ability to meet their own needs, even if those experiences were missing in early life. Some key interventions include:
Creating resource figures – Developing internal ‘allies’ who represent protection, wisdom, or care, helping to meet unmet childhood needs.
Developing a calm place – Imagining a calm or peaceful place that a client can mentally ‘visit’ to regulate distress and strengthen an internal sense of safety.
Imaginal repair work – Connecting with an imagined ‘ideal caregiver’ or using imagery rescripting to symbolically repair past relational wounds.
When introducing imaginal resourcing, sharing the ‘piano study’ with clients as part of psychoeducation can reinforce that these techniques have real therapeutic effects on both an emotional and physiological level.
Why This Matters for Clients with Attachment Trauma
For many clients, experiences of warmth, protection, or stability may have been absent in early life. Through imaginal resourcing, therapists can help them engage with supportive figures and environments in a way that feels real and meaningful. Even though these experiences are imagined, they can still influence the nervous system in ways that support emotional regulation and self-compassion.
For clients with complex trauma, resourcing is often an essential step in ensuring that EMDR therapy proceeds safely and effectively. Whether it’s installing a resource figure, working with co-regulation, or engaging in imaginal repair work, these interventions help create a foundation of safety, strengthen adaptive information, and build internal capacity for self-compassion—key elements for safe and effective trauma reprocessing.
Beyond preparing clients for trauma processing, resourcing techniques in Phase 2 of EMDR therapy can be inherently reparative. Engaging in attachment repair through resource figures, co-regulation, and the therapeutic relationship itself allows clients to develop an internalised sense of nurturance and care that they may not have received as children. This process can help clients cultivate greater self-compassion, emotional resilience, and the ability to self-soothe when distressed—skills that are invaluable for navigating life’s inevitable challenges.
I'm Caroline Burrows, an Accredited EMDR Trainer and Consultant. I’m passionate about bridging the gap between EMDR training and clinical practice. If you're looking to learn EMDR therapy for the first time, enhance your EMDR skills, or navigate challenges in your EMDR clinical work, I offer training workshops, on-demand webinars, and consultation. I would love to support your EMDR learning journey.
