Does Anyone Have Experience Of EMDR?

[KP the nut]

It does show we are all individuals and that there is never a 'one size fits all' therapy. We just have to find one and a therapist which suit us.

Just because one type of therapy doen't work it doesn't mean that nothing will help. It is finding the strength to continue to try.

(((HUGS))) to those still trying.

 

[Phoenix_Rising]

Exactly. I didn't think there was much a therapist could do for me at this point, and I have done SO MANY different types of therapy and healing over the years, but my new one does a type of body centred therapy that has been (to my surprise) incredibly effective. And I am not a person that these type of releases come to easily.

She also does something cognitive, as well, but not CBT. It's much more gentle and I have found it very effective for me, which is remarkable as I am not someone for whom beliefs change very easily (since most of the problematic ones are deeply entrenched).

So as you said, it doesn't mean nothing will help, and you may be surprised at what DOES help you. I sure have been, the last several months. It's just a matter of continuing to try different things and being open minded about it--I once had a major release from a type of "active meditation" we did in a support group. I didn't want to do it because I felt like we weren't doing the work we were there for, and it was a waste of time. And I ended up being the only one to get that kind of response from it--go figure, LOL.

 

[KP the nut]

I found it helped, when I finally stopped fighting myself and trusted in my T and the process he was using.

 

[cat]

Me too KP, its such a personal therapy that you must be able to trust your therapist to guide you through & support you. It was my third emdr session before i realised just how much I trusted my T. I have a lot to thank her for.
I am convinced that emdr played a vital role in my recover.

 

[Lucycat]

The most difficult part for me was the images or thoughts that would come up when it was being done. I didn't always want to tell my therapist what they were, and didn't like that they just came out of nowhere and often didn't make sense to me. One time, I had an image of strangling her! I had no feelings of animosity towards my T at all. But I sure was not going to share THAT with her.

I would like to suggest that this was why you did not have great success with EMDR. I firmly believe that you have to be absolutely open and honest with your T. If you felt that you could not share this with her, then do you have absolute trust in her? I wonder if there was other stuff that you are holding back?

Please don't take this as a criticism. I know just how hard it is, and it has taken me a very long time to share EVERYTHING, but I have got there eventually. I have found EMDR very helpful, but there has been the occasional session that did not go so well - and yes- usually because I held back.

I am glad you have found an alternative and effective therapy. As the others have said there are so many options it is important to find the right fit.

 

[doglover]

Dr. Shapiro, the founder and inventor of EMDR, has published a self-help book. Dead Link Removed. There is info about how it works, how memories are stored, exercises to help you figure out what informs your present, and basic steps you can take to overcome those issues.

The book states clearly, more than once, that if you feel significant disturbance you need to use the exercises with a T, not on your own. So if you get the book please follow that mandate!

I'm reading it, has some interesting stuff. Cool tricks to overcome disturbance, like imagine the image of the event over a paint can and pour paint all over it.

<Edited by Anthony>

 

[ericaboo]

I did EMDR one time - it scared the hell out of me, which I thought might be a breakthrough, but the therapist never tried it again. She also never explained why she stopped.

I felt like - maybe she couldn't handle my intensity, which was a disappointment.

Maybe I'll try it again sometime - but I can still remember the terror - it was like a horror movie to remember things I have forgotten for a very good reason.

Maybe it was a re-traumatization which is why she stopped - not sure.

 

[dealingwithnegatives]

In week 5 of EMDR (3rd week of actual eye movement) and wish I had came across this forum in research I did beforehand. I am now on day 3 of a migraine headache that simply will not go away. I have never had a migraine before in my life and I am pretty sure it is a side effect from EMDR. My treatment consists of following T's fingers back and forth. I am wondering if anybody else has experienced this as I think it may be putting too much strain on my eyes. I have another session on Monday and will discuss other treatment options but was hoping for some feedback from individuals that have used EMDR.

Was skeptical but had a very positive attitude going into the 1st actual treatment session. Was fairly anxious as I did not personally know anybody that had been treated with EMDR and was unsure as to what was to take place. My therapist was wonderful putting me at ease and I trusted her 100% before we got started. She had me conjure up one of the most disturbing images along with how I felt and where I felt it and we started. After 20-30 seconds, she would stop me, tell me to take a deep breath and inform her of what I felt and/or any image that went with it. I left that session and was very confused by what had just taken place. How and why certain images had surfaced...it was all very perplexing. I couldn't put a sentence together afterwards and to try to explain how my treatment had gone was something I just could not put into words no matter how hard I tried.

I came home and was exhausted. My eyes still felt as if they were rapidly moving back and forth although I knew they weren't. I went to sleep but not for long because I had terrible nightmares that while in them, I knew I needed to be woken up from. That led to several sleepless nights as I was too afraid to close my eyes and go to sleep. Reported all of this to T the before the 2nd session and we continued. This was a painful, dark and scary session. Even though she did a wonderful job bringing me out of it and containing the garbage that had spilled out, I left there flooded. It was tough enough dealing with the issues the first time around, one by one but I had several come rushing back during that visit and for the next few days felt very "cybil-ish" I guess is the best way to describe it. There was just too much to deal with and felt my brain was firing on too many circuits causing me to short circuit. Was extremely exhausted but sleep did not come easily to me the rest of the week.

This past Tuesday was my 3rd session and I was very anxious and afraid as to what was going to surface but was very forthright with my T and we proceeded with another round. At one point in time, I told her, "I just don't understand where this is coming from. It doesn't make any sense." She told me I shouldn't worry about it or try to over think it and we continued on. It wasn't nearly as dark as #2 had been and I was a little surprised at what actually came to the surface, feelings I was unaware I had been harboring for years. Was exhausted afterwards and was able to sleep for about an hour but since then have had little or no sleep.

Have session #4 scheduled for next Monday but unsure as to whether or not I want to continue or take a week off. Part of me wants to plow through and keep going knowing that it will get better but another part of me is really wanting to give my brain a rest and try to get some sleep. I wish I could crawl into a dark cave and hibernate for a few days.

Any thoughts? Advice? Comments? Recommendations?

 

[Deleted member 12723]

I am going to go to a clinic to do EMDR. All of these posts have been very helpful in me getting certain questions answered before I commit. I have multiple traumas so I do not know if I am a good candidate for it.

I will have to use my common sense and my gut instinct. I am nervous and afraid. I am so afraid of being disappointed. I am so weary of being stuck. But I am also hopeful.

 

[Zad]

Any thoughts? Advice? Comments? Recommendations?

I suggest that you get the book recommended by doglover (#162): Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Self-Help Techniques from EMDR Therapy. It will explain the therapy and your reactions, plus give you techniques you can use to deal with the reactions. There is also an appendix that gives some good suggestions about what to ask your therapist.

 

[Mr B]

I to have been referred for EMDR, alot if not all of my questions have been answered in this single thread. I will post back when therapy starts and report its effect.

 

[Ghost427]

Interesting thread. My therapist just asked me to think about emdr this week. We've been working together for a couple years, traditional talk therapy, though the guy has serious trauma skills. He mentioned emdr once before and I shot him down (seems too contrived for me, and I read a lot about it and just am not convinced..), but I may be in a place now where I'm willing to at least give it a try.