Well, T2 and T3 (who I don't usually do EMDR with) both say that there is no right/wrong. Share whatever is there, whether image, word, memory, idea. When I am too embarrassed to tell, I either say that, or sometimes just one word like "shame" or a couple of words "shame at being childlike". I remind myself that they don't see the things that I am seeing, and they are asking only to help me clarify my thoughts. I remind myself that I don't have to go into detail with EMDR and that I would rather do EMDR than talk about this stuff. And I remind myself that they signed up for this-they have chosen a profession where they hear some awful stuff and that it bothers me more than it bothers them because it happened to me.

The idea of EMDR is that when something bad happens, that memory is stored at a certain place in our brains, and that by moving our eyes (or buzzing or tapping or hearing) back and forth we allow the memory to discharge, so that it doesn't set off our fight or flight response. At least that is how they have explained it to me.

The big advantage to EMDR for me is that it is not destablizing the way that talking about things can be. To me, that makes it worth the discomfort about doing things right and the uncertainty about why/how it works. I would do about anything to avoid talking about some of that stuff (as evidenced by my dissociation)