News Emdr causes brain damage?

[joeylittle]

Sweetheart, re-read my comment and understand.

Honey, why don't you come back later when you've decided to interact like a reasonable person.

 

[Deleted member 41765]

You can read a little about its history at EMDR Treatment: Still Less Than Meets the Eye? from a 1996 scathing review, then updated in 2011 with closer to what we now know and the effectiveness of EMDR today for trauma.

This concerns me. I stumbled upon this thread and wish I hadn't. I'm fairly certain those of us with the capability are able to readily find and quote sources that support personal positions.

 

[anthony]

Banned for trolling. I found one place in that thread where I used "vegetable" in a different context than what you have referred here. The full context is:

The problem if it goes wrong is brain damage. This means, in a small dosage you could experience reliving your trauma on a heightened daily response. Basically your trauma is going to worse in your mind. If the damage is medium, the brain nearly fries itself, you could find some pretty serious states of shock, convulsions daily, loss of motor skills, etc etc.

If it totally went wrong, your looking at being pretty much a vegetable. The therapist would have to be a moron though to push someone who wasn't responding already to the treatment though to that level. That would be negligent on the therapist behalf if anything ever got that bad.

The person giving EMDR unfortunately cannot control your mind, nor do they know what is going to popup from within it.

You have to have some trust in your therapist, though if you personally are in doubt of the treatment, its immediately not the right treatment for you. You must be allowed to make your own decisions on what is best for you.

Again, from 10 years ago, and vegetable was used then in a less politically correct time for when mental faculties can be completely lost. Also note, it was not just EMDR, but any therapy can debilitate a person totally if something went wrong. Every person signs a disclaimer for therapy... because shit gets real and unknown at times.

The thread being quoted by becvan outlines from several people just within that thread, where EMDR has gone wrong. I even remember supporters who have contacted me over the years that their loved ones committed suicide from melt down after therapy, EMDR was one, and there were various types. Either the delivery was wrong, or at the end of the day, it is a risk of therapy, unfortunately.

It annoys me when people can't read for themselves. The EMDR website itself states some of the issues: Frequent Questions | EMDR Institute – EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING THERAPY

Will I live the trauma as intensely as before?

Answer: Many people are conscious of only a shadow of the experience, while others feel it to a greater degree.

The EMDR website itself states that some people will be worse. The same page from the EMDR website write the worse impacts in a nice way:

As with any form of psychotherapy, there may be a temporary increase in distress.

1. distressing and unresolved memories may emerge
2. some clients may experience reactions during a treatment session that neither they nor the administrating clinician may have anticipated, including a high level of emotion or physical sensation
3. subsequent to the treatment session, the processing of incidents/material may continue, and other dreams, memories, feelings, etc., may emerge.

These are all perfectly normal. Unfortunately, some people suffer worse, some people have complete melt down, some commit suicide, some end up in mental institutions because their brain basically fries from overload. The majority, heal their trauma.

EMDR, like any therapy, is no different to the side effects of medication. It is harder to find the stories today than it was 10 years ago by people who basically defined their brain as "fried" after EMDR. Billions of pages have been created in that time.

A good piece on EMDR and neurology Dr James Alexander outlines just how far EMDR taps into the brains regions. Why anyone would devalue peoples negative responses here or anywhere on the web about their experiences, is beyond me. No therapy is just good, positive and awesome. They all cause consequences to people. PE is one of the highest rated treatments for PTSD, yet for some, PE completely shut them down, had them institutionalised and some were successful in suicide.

I've read many a personal story over the years about therapy effect. I'm sure an honest therapist would have stories to tell about some clients who just went absolutely nuts after therapy. They may blame themselves, who knows... but shit happens. Discarding it is silly... and trolling is just not cool.

 

[joeylittle]

Look, @Nai, @harold b, @gotcha007, @Belzo, et.al.:

Your point is clearly made in this thread. You think posts from 2007 are relevant. They are not. You seem to have some paranoia around Anthony particularly.

News flash: @anthony is just a guy.

Why, of the thousands of EMDR threads and posts this forum has, you've chosen to fixate on some ancient ones as evidence of...what? Lying? Manipulation? - is a mystery to me. The only reasonable explanation is you're a seriously disgruntled ex-member.

So: you've been heard. You've been addressed. Now please, go away. None of us has time for your bullshit. Thanks.

 

[anthony]

Because trolls lie it seems, and do not read entire threads as they claim they have: EMDR Lashback - When EMDR Goes Wrong

I actually changed the term "brain damage" by admission in 2011 based on newer information to "cognitive impairment" being the more accurate term.

Do not feed the trolls!!! Especially those who DO NOT read entire discussions as they claim and DO cherry pick exactly as challenged, by my own admissions later in that thread about term changes.