Emdr - Is It Really The Solution?

[Deleted member 1860]

Naturebaby,

DBT wasn't very helpful. I think because it didn't attack my specific issues in the same way that CBT does. (Yes, i have the same symptoms you mention.)

I've found so much more symptom relief with CBT. (I know it can be confusing as DBT is a type of CBT!)

I worked through the DBT workbook but I didn't find it all that helpful. One of my favorite CBT books is "Cognitive Behavioural Therapy For Dummies". It's published in the UK, available in the USA, and elsewhere I assume? It's pretty user friendly and I can work on one skill at a time, at my own pace.

In my area, DBT isn't easy to come by. A few years ago there were only a few places offering it. One person wasn't all that skilled at being a therapist and I didn't find DBT to be helpful. Another place wanted a year long commitment even before my first session. (How could I commit to a whole year of therapy before knowing if it was a good fit?) And the third place was $200 a session, two required sessions a week and a 6 month to 1 year commitment. (No insurance accepted...who has that kind of money?!?)

 

[LizardViolet]

The discussion has moved along from the original poster's question, which was how does EMDR work? and although the discussion has been interesting and useful, I'm not sure the question was addressed.

EMDR starts with a particular understanding of trauma: that the trauma a person experienced has become stuck in their immediate memory, along with the energy of emotional arousal and the fight-or-flight-or-freeze adrenaline response. In contrast, ordinary things that happen to us get processed into our normal memory. If they're upsetting but not necessarily traumatic, we might think about them a bit, or a lot, but eventually we come to some conclusion, learn whatever we're going to take away from the experience, and let it go. A traumatic memory can't be so easily let go.

What EMDR does (and this is metaphorical, the brain mechanism is not understood) is somehow create a shortcut so that the traumatic memory is slipped into the normal memory processing system and the accompanying arousal disappears. I went through EMDR myself, and I can still remember the traumatic event just fine, but it's just part of my normal memory landscape now, it doesn't make me angry or upset, and associated things don't bring it up or trigger me.

A therapist using EMDR will generally go over the "target" memories with the person they are working with in order to create a list of memories you're going to process, one at a time. When you do a session, you are guided to think about the specific incident and the accompanying emotions while the tapping or eye movements or sounds are happening. Somehow, the bilateral stimulation seems to prompt your brain to properly handle the difficult memory.

Tapping can also be used to install positive thoughts and resources. And a good EMDR therapist will also fortify the person with calming and grounding strategies before you even start to address your trauma. The point is to approach the traumatic memory from the safest ground, and then, as if you were handling an explosive, to use the proper methods and equipment so as not to set it off but to defuse it and then encourage your brain to get it properly stored.

CBT is a very useful therapy, but with regard to a traumatic memory with all the associated emotional and adrenaline arousal, I don't think you can talk yourself out of a trigger.

 

[Mandiwofford]

EMDR has been extremely effective in my case. I have complex PTSD from CSA. After years of talk therapy, I finally found something that worked with such quick results that my soon to be ex husband has a hard time believing in my recovery.