EMDR Lashback - When EMDR Goes Wrong

[becvan]

Um no I would not consider it to be EMDR trauma. Its more like.. it screwed up some wiriing in my brain.. and now it keeps short circuiting. It is getting better, but its been years. I'm hoping that eventually it will fade entirely.

bec

 

[Sam70]

Have you had FMRI scans under the condition? That way atleast neurologists could see what is going wrong to help you.

No, I've never had an FMRI. I've had an MRI (normal), but not an FMRI. I will consider it. Thanks again. Sam

 

[Sam70]

Um no I would not consider it to be EMDR trauma. Its more like.. it screwed up some wiriing in my brain.. and now it keeps short circuiting. It is getting better, but its been years. I'm hoping that eventually it will fade entirely.

bec

Bec,

I have similar problems. :( I understand. I've been dealing with it for 11 years and wonder if it will ever stop. Mine has gotten better too, but I am still disabled. Keep on keepin' on, right? Be good to yourself, love life anyway. :) I have learned that I can still have joy in my life even through the suffering. We have come this far and have gotten better. Be well and best to you. Sam

 

[Sam70]

BTW, I have been talking with this guy Dave from Canada who also has had bad EMDR experience. If anyone's interested, his website is: Google Dave Combs. He talks about his experience and even has a page where you can confidentially share your story. He's been an invaluable resource and has been wonderfully supportive. :) Sam

 

[anthony]

That sites link is extremely bias to be perfectly honest. It uses very old data, and EMDR is now approved by all major Government agencies and also was the fourth only Tier 1 therapy officially recognized for the treatment of trauma, along side, cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy & stress inoculation training.

That site is extremely biased and providing misinformation, so I am removing the link.

There is a difference between a therapy being broken vs. the therapist (deliverer). I would think it is the therapist who screwed up vs. the procedure itself. This is the complication with therapist nowadays as well, as they all want to make a name for themselves, and they take known, effective methods, then twist them to suit themselves and deliver them upon clients without knowledge they skewed initial procedures because they think or feel their idea works better.

This is occurring within every single type of therapy, which is why I can't reinforce enough to steer clear of all these power therapies via marketing all falsely advertising and taking money, typically causing more damage than good.

 

[Sam70]

That sites link is extremely bias to be perfectly honest. It uses very old data, and EMDR is now approved by all major Government agencies and also was the fourth only Tier 1 therapy officially recognized for the treatment of trauma, along side, cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy & stress inoculation training.

That site is extremely biased and providing misinformation, so I am removing the link.

There is a difference between a therapy being broken vs. the therapist (deliverer). I would think it is the therapist who screwed up vs. the procedure itself. This is the complication with therapist nowadays as well, as they all want to make a name for themselves, and they take known, effective methods, then twist them to suit themselves and deliver them upon clients without knowledge they skewed initial procedures because they think or feel their idea works better.

No problem, Anthony.

 

[anthony]

There are people here who have had just as bad reactions to exposure therapy. When questioned, it wasn't the therapy itself, it was what the therapist had them doing and when it was done, ie. trying to expose someone to a deep fear initially vs. first processing cognitively then slowly progressing into a staged exposure regime.

 

[scott_1971_h]

There are people here who have had just as bad reactions to exposure therapy. When questioned, it wasn't the therapy itself, it was what the therapist had them doing and when it was done, ie. trying to expose someone to a deep fear initially vs. first processing cognitively then slowly progressing into a staged exposure regime.

I've had a bad exposure to a therapist ;-)
First words out of his mouth (AND THE LITTLE SHIT INTERRUPTED ME) was "All you do is bitch about your mother".
I STILL want to rip the little prick's head off. That was THE END of that therapist.
Took me a while to regain my speech, I told him i was leaving and that "Next time just try to set the world back a trillion years".
Now I have flashbacks of that little c**t more than Yeti (abominable snowmum).
Can happen with any therapy i suppose.

Scott

 

[werdna]

After reading this I feel scared. I have read multiple books on EMDR and I thought it seamed magnificent but I have had treatment now on and off for about 3 - 4 years with EMDR using the light version. I wrote to Dr Shapiro before that too. Anyway it hasn't really worked for. What do you mean by multiple traumas? I think I need to write to Dr Shapiro again or email her. Maybe my therapist is doing it wrong. He uses the light version. I wondering if its too late for me now! I should have checked if he was fully certified at the time. I think the one I went to first of all was but he put me onto another guy because he was not doing it any more because he was going to work with autistic kids instead. I did the dumbest thing I think now.

 

[werdna]

In Dr Shapiros book it doesn't say anything about not using it on multiple traumas though. Can EMDR really make you brain damaged. How do you know that?

 

[werdna]

I'm so scared now. Can it really damage you for life?

 

[anthony]

EMDR is a cognitive processing trauma therapy, that encapsulates a form of exposure therapy within it, being imaginal type.

EMDR is an excellent trauma therapy, it has evolved a longggggg way since this thread was started.

EMDR though still has limitations with complex trauma, as does near every therapy, because there are complex core beliefs underlying all the trauma. No amount of EMDR is going to change those core beliefs, they are changed through emotion regulation, reinforcement and time, all via therapy. Once you stabilise and repair some of the underlying core issues, easier said to be personality disorder based, then EMDR is a viable treatment for the trauma itself.

Therapy in general, very specific and focused to changing negative core beliefs is more apt when personality disorders are present, which they are if complex trauma is real.

People confuse complex traumas meaning. Just because you endure childhood abuse, even lots of it, does not mean you have complex trauma. That means you have childhood trauma... complex trauma is when the trauma, usually during childhood, has also affected your core belief system. That is what the attempted diagnosis of CPTSD has always been about... longevity trauma, typically endured in childhood, that attributed to severe core dysfunction, being dissociative and personality.

Just because you suffered 5 years of childhood trauma, does not make it complex if you don't endure those core personality + highly dissociative states in combination. Its the same as standing two people side by side, one gets PTSD, one doesn't, both faced with the same trauma. You can have two children, both abused for 10 years of childhood, one has PTSD and one has complex trauma resulting in PTSD. There is a difference between the outcomes.

EMDR can treat immediately the first, being the 10 years of childhood trauma resulting in PTSD. No problems at all.

EMDR can not treat immediately the second, being the 10 years of childhood trauma resulting in severe dissociative and personality core belief aspects that have resulted in adulthood personality and dissociative disorders in combination with PTSD.

There is a difference.... even though you can loosely toss everyone into the same basket.