Guatemalan kids have colorful and small “muñecas quitapenas” or “worry/trouble dolls” to talk to when they have trouble sleeping. Parents would put it under their child’s pillow once he/she “hits the sack” and remove it in the morning to make the child believe the worry is gone.

Interestingly, the folklore was picked by medical practitioners to treat sick children. Modern science (of course) has evidence to disprove that a worry doll can’t treat a disease or make the worry dissipate. If there is one thing this culture-spanning idea underscores, it is the power of talking. It reinforces the fact that talking about hurt can relieve emotional pain.

Not Talking as a Defense Mechanism

Not talking is a manifestation of repression; a defense mechanism to keep unpleasant thoughts and memories out of your mind. Not talking can also be borne out of fear of being misunderstood. People around you who really care will try to help you with your fears and pain, but many would not know the right thing to say.

Maybe not talking can help you avoid the stressful rehashing of the unfortunate event in your life, but not talking can’t make you live life to the fullest either. Your repressed pain will linger and continue to haunt you. Like a wall, your pain will isolate you from the world and prevent you from having fulfilling relationships. The hurt will be expressed some other way, usually in a negative, counterproductive behavior. You will most likely fail to develop resilience to stresses or recover from emotional pain.

Science Behind Talk Therapy

Is the benefit of the Guatemalan worry doll a myth/legend? Talk therapy is not merely based on a Guatemalan worry doll. Many psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists believe that talking or verbalizing the hurt can blunt the emotional impact of an experience. Moreover, the idea that verbalizing the emotion relieves the hurt inside is scientifically supported by studies.

One study was undertaken by Matthew Lieberman, PhD., a UCLA psychologist, and his colleagues. Using FMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging). They observed that social rejection can activate a certain area in their subjects’ brains. Those who have less distress showed more activity in another part of the cortex, the area associated with language production or verbalizing thoughts. The results have been reinforced by yet another Lieberman study confirming that talking or verbalizing activates a certain part of the cortex, while it suppresses the brain part that produces emotional pain.

Talk Therapy: The Value

Verbalizing worries or talking can help heal your hurt. It lets you get real and ready to face life when it “throws curve balls at you.” Talking gives shape to your emotion so that you can better look at it squarely to manage your hurt more objectively. Just talking about how you feel can help you find comfort as it lets you release bottled feelings. If you feel talking to people can just unduly burden them of your worries or you have fear of being rejected, seek out a professional.

At  Carolina Counseling Services – Southern Pines, NC, we have professional “talk” therapists who will listen and give you reinforcements so you continue talking and healing. Call, text or leave us a message in the Carolina Counseling Services – Southern Pines, NC website so we start YOUR “talk” therapy!