Does Anyone Have Experience Of EMDR?

[cat]

Hi Cate

I've been working with a psychologist weekly for the last 6 mths for EMDR, like you I had trouble talking about my trauma & it took 4 appointments before I could even begin. We did 7 weeks of preparation before the first session & although we thought I was ready for it, I found it very distressing. I've since had 4 more sessions - in between them we talk, discuss relaxation techniques & strategies to manage my flashbacks.
As I've got used to the intensity of EMDR it has been easier let go & talk. I found after the second session I was able to trust her with my deeper thoughts without worrying that she would think I was being ridiculous.

I've reached the stage now that certain parts of my trauma are not as painful to remember & are no longer part of the video that plays in my head during flashbacks. I'm hoping that with time & more EMDR this might happen with other memories from my childhood.

Therapy is hard work & I have had to accept its ups & downs but I'm really pleased I stuck with it as in small ways life is beginning to feel good again.

 

[danielle8890]

EMDR has been highly beneficial & productive ~ My trauma is related to the most horrifying and unimaginable day of my life when we discovered our young daughter took her life. She became deeply depressed after becoming the victim of an Internet predator at age 15. The details of her beautiful face without life and the hours of sheer terror & agony that unfolded that unimaginable day were seared into my memory nearly 3 years later. Immediately after EMDR, those memories became fuzzy and major triggers from that day were rewired in my mind to lead me to a more peaceful place. I highly recommend EMDR ~ Thank you.

 

[Blues in NYC]

I have said it here before, and will add it too this thread, IMHO, unless the person has been personally trained by Dr. Shapiro herself, not a chance in hell would I do it with multiple trauma. Dr. Shapiro uses it on multiple trauma sufferers, however; she also screens patients extremely well beforehand, and as she is the creator of EMDR itself, you can imagine how misinformed and guided the teaching goes with the depth of it... ie. this therapist adds their own personal two cents without knowledge of implication teaching another, then they add their two cents, or drop some vital aspect without knowing the implications of it, then they teach someone else who melts a persons brain.

EMDR is a very good technique if used by experienced physicians with commonsense to be capable of reading a patients body language in order to judge whether they are not being totally honest to the questions asked whether they fit the criteria or not. If the slightest inkling that a person is not divulging the exact nature of trauma, then EMDR should not be used until such time as it is known.

I feel very lucky, as a multiple trauma survivor, that my doctor fits this category. She worked with the person who developed brain spotting and is incredibly astute and talented. Plus we a are a very good match.

The EMDR (and brain spotting) has worked wonders for my recovery. I am sorry to hear that some folks have had such a bad time at it. The skeptic in me wonders if folks reporting really bad experiences got off the ride too early? I mean, for a few months my symptoms did get worse. But I've done about six months now of the therapy, the first four months being twice a week. I'll let others do the math, but it's into the multiple dozens of sessions now. Like I said it was VERY hard at first, but at this point, I believe sticking with the therapy was essential.

But again, my doctor is very talented and a forerunner in the field. I got connected because I coincidentally have a sibling (also a trauma survivor) who is in the field as well and was able to ask around through connections.

~ Blues

 

[ladyhawk]

EMDR can be hard, but worthwhile.

I read this thread before I started my EMDR sessions. Scared the hell out me! I'm glad because it caused me to do my research and really question the therapist. I've had six sessions now and while it can be very difficult, the outcome has been excellent.

My PTSD is rooted in long-term, multiple trauma events (rape, battery, torture, etc.). According to this thread, I should have run screaming from this type of therapy, but fortunately I didn't. My therapist is well trained and we discussed what I read here and he explained not only the theories, but the studies, negative side effects, success and failure rates, and what I might experience and for how long.

EMDR isn't for everyone and some people to not react well to it. However, despite the fact that what I read implied that I shouldn't even try it...I did and I'm a healthier, happier and more stable person for it.

I highly recommend the following: 1. Get a therapist who is specialty trained and certified in EMDR and who openly, honestly and thoroughly explains the therapy and outcomes. If they can't, then find one that can. 2. Do your research and use that knowledge to determine what is the right therapy for you. It is your responsibility. 3. Don't base your recovery on the bad experiences of others. 4. Be aware that all forms of recovery are painful and be prepared to go through the pain to get to a better place. You're worth the effort!

 

[sigh]

For me, it works.

Thank GOD.
I wish more people who have it work would speak up, I feel that this is a one sided discussion. I also don't feel like explaining it because it's dinnertime and I have food to eat.

 

[dust]

I had EMDR for 1 year and it stopped me being symptomatic. I also have multiple trauma and repressed memories. The EMDR was awful and I was wiped out by it. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, but I broke through! So, I am another EMDR success story. Big thumbs up for EMDR from me!


dust

 

[cat]

It's been interesting to read in these posts that some therapists seem to be deciding what treatment you will have. When I was diagnosed EMDR was recommended to me & my Gp suggested that I look for private treatment(I'm in the UK)

When I first met my psychologist she made it very clear to me that we would be working together to help my through my PTSD & that my recovery was down to me.

In the last 6 mths we have done 5 emdr sessions mostly with good success.
Obvisously the first session was difficult as although it was fully explained to me I was very anxious about it & I felt re-traumatised but what actually happened was that I hadn't taken on board what my T had said about how I would feel. I now find that after EMDR I feel more anxious for a few days while the reprocessing continues, but after that things are much clearer & I now longer worry about them. i was very worrried about going on meds but following an emdr session on my past experience with them i started taking them with no worry at all. I has also significantly reduced the number of traumatic images I have during flashbacks.

One thing you do have to be prepared for is bringing other painfull memories into awareness, this happened during my 3rd session & was quite a shock, but on reflection it was something that had niggled at me since childhood but never spoken about.

We are combining EMDR with CBT, exposure therapy, relaxation techniques, focusing all supporting each other. EMDR sessions take a lot of time to plan & my T will often say that I'm not ready for a seesion at the moment & we'll talk more before we get a very clear reason for to continue.

I feel for me that EMDR has been benifical, it is less traumatic than exposure therapy as you are only focusing with one aspect of your trauma at a time, you should also in total control of the sessions & able to stop at any time, your therapist is only there to facilitate the session & support you. It was after my first emdr that I finally felt able to fully trust my T.

I think any therapy we embark on is trial & error until you find one that suits you. We are individuals & as we all react to trauma uniqely so we do with therapy.

 

[Mina]

Bumping this thread to keep the EMDR discussion on track! This is the place to post your experiences of EMDR, whatever they may be.

There's also an entire thread about negative experiences with EMDR:
[DLMURL]http://www.ptsdforum.org/showthread.php?t=2862[/DLMURL]

 

[anon222]

I've been treated using EMDR for a year now and I've found it to be very helpful. There were some traumas I was re-living all over again every day as if they just happened. I would wake up every morning and re-live everything as if it just happened. This would go on for months. EMDR helped me feel like the trauma happened in the past. Before EMDR, I was having attacks of fear that would last several hours, and just kept coming over me in waves. This has been reduced by 90%. EMDR also helped me remember details that I had blocked out and couldn't remember. I still have some missing time, but the things I have remembered have helped me move them to the past.

The traumas are still very painful, and I have days where all I can do is stay in bed and cry. But, now I feel like now I can go through a more natural grieving process, which is no picnic, but feels more "normal". The first time I realized that the EMDR was making a difference was when I suffered another trauma (I call it getting the rug pulled out from under me) and I didn't immediately start having the attacks of fear. I've been in an abusive relationship for the past two years, so there has been a cycle of repeated traumatic events I've been dealing with.

My doctor works with me to connect issues of past abuse going back to childhood and the intensity of the current abusive relationship I was in, abandonment issues, never feeling safe, etc. The EMDR helps me process the specifics of the abuse, yet tie all of the patterns together from past to present. During the the EMDR, he helps me focus on the scariest parts and asks me "is there a time you've felt like this before". And that helps me get to the root of why my brain reacts to trauma in the way that it does.

It's also helped me to spot signs of an abusive or controlling person more quickly and hopefully this will help me make better choices for myself in the future. It's also helped me realize that I let people cross boundaries with me that I shouldn't and I'm slowly becoming more assertive.

EMDR is emotionally exhausting for me, but having stuck with it, I think I am better off for it. They way it was explained to me, is that it's creating new pathways in my brain for storing and dealing with trauma so they aren't "on the screen" every day.

 

[Tija]

What Has EMDR Done For You?

I'd love to compare notes with those of you who have undergone EMDR therapy.:rolleyes:

In my experience, EMDR has not been a quick fix. It hasn't so much dissolved my triggers from the traumas, but it has helped me to process and gain a better understanding of the past. When being triggered the intensity is so much less, sometimes nil, but I have to still do the work and stop and think about it logically. I then come to realize that I am ok and safe and that the past is the past. I think just having the ability to be able to stop and think about it or write about it, without freaking out first, is the greatest difference in me since EMDR therapy.

When I first started therapy over 1 year ago, I really believed that EMDR would eliminate my triggers. To date - not quite yet. I think that the success of the method is a little exaggerated on the internet. Does anyone else feel that way, too? But, anyways, perhaps I still have a ways to go in therapy (which is costing me an arm and a leg!). It surely is like Baby steps, no kidding.

Is my experience of the norm?

Best, Tija :smile:

 

[Perspective11]

I'll be starting this soon...

 

[Mina]

Tija, I merged your thread with an existing, ongoing one on EMDR experiences. Hopefully you will find the posts here helpful.

On the flip side, there are also people who have highly negative experiences with EMDR...that thread is here: [DLMURL]http://www.ptsdforum.org/showthread.php?t=2862[/DLMURL]