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Sufferer Hi, I'm new, overthinking this title, and working through EMDR

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laur7

New Here
Hi, I'm Lauren, 34 years old. I just joined this site because I've been having an especially hard time this week. I have PTSD from years of childhood trauma and abuse. I've been seeing a therapist and working through EMDR for the past few months. I believe it's working overall, but last week we started in on my highest rated SUD memory and it was hard. I knew it would be hard in the session but since then I have been really off, unmotivated, completely lost myself and who I am (if that makes any sense), etc and I don't know if it's all the EMDR or just general depression or what. I have such trouble verbalizing my feeling/thoughts but I've never talked with anyone else who "gets it". Hoping this will help 🤞
 
Hi @laur7. Your title made me laugh. I never know what to put either.

I find that hard EMDR sessions can be draining and make me feel off for a bit. My therapist always tells me to plan nothing right after and to drink lots of water.

I compare sessions to a broken bone. The session itself is like having the doctor re-brake a bone that wasn't healing properly. It hurts like hell and makes it more painful for a while. But after the session, the healing keeps happening, and day by day the healing happens.

I am glad that you found this forum. I am pretty new myself and have found it very helpful to know that other people experience similar things. It is so sad that we all need to be here.
 
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Hi @laur7. Your title made me laugh. I never know what to put either.

I find that hard EMDR sessions can be draining and make me feel off for a bit. My therapist always tells me to plan nothing right after and to drink lots of water.

I compare sessions to a broken bone. The session itself is like having the doctor re-brake a bone that wasn't healing properly. It hurts like hell and makes it more painful for a while. But after the session, the healing keeps happening, and day by day the healing happens.

I am glad that you found this forum. I am pretty new myself and have found it very helpful to know that other people experience similar things. It is so sad that we all need to be here.
I love the broken bone analogy. Turning it into something tangible like that is actually quite helpful ☺️
 
Congratulations on being brave about exploring your hardest memories and putting your therapy experiences into words here.

Being tired and feeling wiped out is a common side effect of EMDR. For me, I experience exhaustion and a bit of a fog. That usually goes away in a day or so for me. Stirring up old memories can be much more disruptive for me. It's important to say what you're experiencing to your therapist, both so you can take care of yourself and so the therapy sessions stay within your range of tolerance.
 
EMDR is such hard work. I often feel it for a while afterward. My therapist always tells me, "Self care, eat and get lots of rest." Often I'm dealing with a lot of emotion and other memories that decide to come up afterward, so I can relate to what you're going through and say it's normal. I know it gets better, but we also take breaks periodically for a week or two at a time. Also, if something is super stressful at work or in my life, then we might put it off for another week as well.

Just remember that slow is best, and it takes as long as it takes.
 
Thank you ❤️ Honestly just hearing from everyone that it’s normal has made me feel much more at ease. It’s hard to distinguish what’s PTSD, what’s EMDR, what’s any other issue I could have - anxiety/depression, what’s pandemic life, and what’s just my personality.
 
this has been a huge help for me, reading your posts. My 21 yr old son has just been admitted to mental health facility due to psychosis induced by a "bad shroom trip". EMDR has been recommended and my son is ready to start this treatment intervention. Again, thank you.
 
EMDR has been recommended and my son is ready to start this treatment intervention.
From what I know, the EMDR treatment for isolated trauma is shorter and more straightforward than EMDR for chronic or childhood trauma. So I think that you can be hopeful about your son's treatment, and EMDR sounds like a good way to go. Good luck to him!
 
From what I know, the EMDR treatment for isolated trauma is shorter and more straightforward than EMDR for chronic or childhood trauma
Yep yep @Wendell_R

@mybabyboy It also has different treatment protocols and expectations when it’s being used to treat depression, anxiety, issues stemming from substance use or a bad reaction/allergy to a medication or food, overachievement (for lack of a better term; like someone who attempts suicide for getting an 3.975 GPA instead of a 4.0), brain injury, OCD, and other conditions or disorders unrelated to PTSD.

EMDR was invented as a trauma/PTSD treatment, but it’s been found to be very effective across a very wide range of disorders and conditions. Each of those disorders / conditions will have their own process/outcomes unique to themselves.

Whilst his therapist will undoubtedly be your best source of info moving forward, I cannot more highly recommend Home | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness as you begin this process.

All my best to you both,
Friday
 
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