Content Free Therapy is Real
Have a memory or experience you don’t feel comfortable talking about? Not to worry, content-free therapy is an option! ‘Content-free’ is a slightly misleading term because it’s not totally content-free; if it was, we might as well call it meditation. Perhaps a better way to describe it is working in such a way that does not require the client to disclose the details of their story in order to process it or to desensitize associated triggers. Not everyone can share their story for a myriad of reasons including shame, confidentiality, and fear and that shouldn’t be an obstacle as long as we work with therapies that facilitate change without narrative.
Do I Have to Share My Story?
My answer is ‘no,’ but that’s because I practice a modality which is effective when working content-free, namely EFT ‘tapping’. Each professional will have a different answer to this question. Not all processors are comfortable working content-free and many aren’t skilled in it (see the note on safety at the bottom), nor are all modalities effective without content. For example, many cognitive talking therapies rely on the client’s narrative and discussion around such, and some somatic therapies insist on memories being recounted in a certain non-chronological order for de-sensitization purposes yet some practitioners of these modalities may be highly skilled in working content-free regardless. EFT works in such a way that the internal experience of the subject is what’s most important, not the external communication between therapist and client which is what makes it so good for content-free work.
How Does Content-Free Therapy Work?
In a nutshell, the client explains that they had an experience they’re not comfortable disclosing the details of. The therapist will ask them to share what they DO feel comfortable saying, which may include a broad description such as, ‘When I was a kid, I had an experience of sexual abuse,’ or, ‘Several years ago I was in the military and while I served I was given an order to do something that I’m ashamed of and I still experience flashbacks and/or sensory triggers associated with that event.’ Sometimes all the client can say is, ‘I just can’t talk about it. I can’t even tell you why.’ The facilitator will respond in whatever way is appropriate, which may be to focus on a physical sensation like a throat closing up or an emotion like guilt, shame, or sadness. Often the client will be asked to give the memory a broad title like, ‘This red memory,’ or ‘That time when I was a kid.’ This vagueness puts a bit of distance between the client and the event which is a helpful form of intentional dissociation.
IN EFT ‘TAPPING’
When using EFT, I start with one aspect at a time just like I would in any other context. If the client describes a sensorial trigger like an image or sound, we tap on that. I don’t need to know why the sound of giggling (for example) is associated with this experience. My client knows why and the sound is initiating a survival response in their amygdala (the emotional center of the brain) as we work so it’s not necessary for me to know more. Technically I don’t even need to know that it’s the sound of giggling we’re dealing with; it would be sufficient to start tapping on ‘this sound that makes my stomach feel tight’ (or whatever the client describes).
Once that’s desensitized, we may move on to an emotion. Maybe we’ll tap on the shame the client feels about the event in which case I’ll ask them to tell me how the shame feels in their body and work on that. If a sensation isn’t available, we’ll attack from a different angle. While we work we’re constantly checking what’s shifting, what’s coming up, whether the client is feeling overwhelmed, making sure they’re feeling safe because I’m not in there with them so I have to rely on my perception and intuition to make the sure the work is effective and safe.
Do I Like Content-Free Healing?
Personally, I love working content-free and I consider it one of my specialisms along with shame and trauma. I love it because it forces me to be creative. Working content-free is the harder route for the facilitator, without a doubt, but I enjoy the challenge. I’m highly intuitive so content-free work hones my sensory acuity and makes me a better healer because it improves my ability to read the body and interpret language on a higher level.
Why Would Someone Want to Work Content-Free?
A few reasons. Sometimes we’re too ashamed of an experience to talk about it; other times we’re too traumatized. Often clients have tried talk therapy before where they’ve recounted the same painful story over and over and they just don’t want to do it again. If a client isn’t doing therapy in their native language it can be too challenging to effectively express such a profound experience which can cause feelings of frustration and disempowerment. It can be more effective to work content-free in these cases. In some situations, the therapist may prefer not to know the details of an event for certain reasons.
The issue of confidentiality is another reason to go content-free. Many professionals are bound to report certain things either legally or ethically. These requirements differ from country to country, state/province to state/province, and profession to profession. This fact alone prevents many people from seeking counselling for fear that their story will not be kept confidential. Working content-free can ensure that a client feels safe while still giving them the opportunity to recover. Likewise, many who work in professions where they are obliged to maintain confidentiality often experience primary or secondary trauma yet they’re bound to keep information either confidential or classified for legal, ethical, or security reasons. Military personnel, doctors, therapists, and lawyers are some of the individuals who fall into this category.
“About 10 percent of people might experience worsening symptoms after being forced to talk about their trauma.”
- Stephanie Foo, What My Bones Know
Is There Any Reason to Tell the Story?
Well, yes, but that doesn’t mean the process is a failure just because we don’t.
Telling the story can be a pivotal part of the healing process but it doesn’t have to be the goal. Just because we don’t ever feel ready to disclose the details doesn’t mean we’ve failed or that we’re holding back. However, many times part of the trauma relates to the pressure one feels to keep the experience a secret or because they feel that it’s too shameful. For example, often abused children are told by their abusers to keep the events a secret because no one will believe them or because there will be repercussions. This fear can become part of the trauma and when this is the case, getting to a point where the client can share their story is a significant breakthrough.
When clients do Shamework with me, the liberation they feel from sharing their story without the binds of shame is phenomenal. It’s like watching someone reclaim their lives before my very eyes! And yet, if this doesn’t happen, that’s okay too. The only thing that matters is that the shifts are happening within the client. If they aren’t, then the work just isn’t done. We keep going until the issues have shifted, or ideally, have cleared to a point where they just become non-issues. As journalist Stephanie Foo asserts in her memoir about treating her CPTSD through non-talk therapy, called What My Bones Know, “Processing is not talking.” Processing happens in the body and in the unconscious mind as we integrate between sessions.
A Note on Safety
If you’re working content-free, it’s essential to work with a professional who knows what they’re doing because the client will be alone in their internal experience which isn’t always a safe place. In therapy, we’re already emotionally vulnerable so for a facilitator to work with limited visibility they need to know how to keep their clients safe.
For starters, they should be trauma-trained not just trauma-informed (meaning they have done extensive training in trauma recovery). Ask if they have experience working content-free, especially on trauma. Bear in mind that trauma is not yet a required subject for mental healthcare professionals which means not all therapists, counsellors, practitioners, or coaches are trauma-informed let alone trauma-trained. If shame is a significant part of your experience, ensure your processor understands the differences between shame as an emotion and shame as a core issue.
Next Steps
As long as we proceed with caution, content-free therapy can open doors to unlearning, recovery, and healing that have been closed to too many people who believe that therapy requires them to disclose their most painful stories. It’s just not necessary when working with the right therapeutic modalities and with a professional who knows how to do it. To learn more about working content-free, feel free to book a 20-minute Discovery Session so we can chat about how it may serve you!