EMDR Lashback - When EMDR Goes Wrong

[Blazkausa]

Hi bevan,

I was just browsing net looking for some information about Exposure therapy - when it goes wrong. I have had a similar experience to yours. I went for a counselling. They offered me a CBT. I didn't know what was that, but wouldn't ever imagine that any therapy could be so drastic and have such a devastating consequences. I went for my first session, which went ok. After second I felt kind of weird, and after the third I suffered full psychotic breakdown. I was having flashbacks of that session 24/7, I couldn't sleep, eat, I couldn't do anything. I felt physically sick. I was haunted by fear. I wanted to go to A&E for some antipsychotic drugs, but the fear of people was so reall that I could hardly distinguish between fantasy and reality. I took some antianxiety pills that I had prescribed from my doctor from before. Even though I quit smoking few years ago I started again, I went on drinking. People couldn't understand what was happening to me. It was without a doubt one of the worst experiences that I have in my life. To this day I am not the same person as I was before.

I went to see the therapist with an open heart. I found the courage to speek about my embarrassing problems, and felt betrayed by not explaining me about what is this about. I believed I found a safe place, but in fact it turned in some kind of torture punishment. I would never ever in my whole life go to see another psycho-whatever. From now on I only leave my life in the hands of God.

 

[Harrison]

How do you recover from an EMDR episode gone wrong?

Six months ago I was exposed to EMDR by my trusted therapist and I have not been the same since.

I believe that the therapy has made me extremely introspective and it has lead me to considering suicide on a daily basis. I made a huge mistake confessing to my dr. one of my biggest secrets, a crime that I had committed and pretended that I had nothing to do with. We talked nothing about my feelings surrounding the event and he made me feel that EMDR had to be done in order for me to move on in my life. Stupidly, I did no research on the type of therapy since I thought my therapist was someone who had my best interest at heart.We did two sessions on the "trauma" and the second session was like a volcano had exploded or pandora's box had been opened. Ever since then I haven't been myself. I've been extremely depressed and have a great deal of trouble being present, I self attack and go from being my true self to an anxiety drenched mess at the drop of a hat. I've recently done research on the therapy since I've been afraid of learning the truth and came to discover that my therapist had not performed the therapy in the way that it's supposed to be performed. He didn't take me through the stages Shapiro suggests or the calming steps after the trauma had been isolated. The bastard had me relive something that wasn't even a painful event, just a secret that I've held for a decade. I feel as though my brain has been used as a morbid science experiment.

It's absolutely terrible. I've always been the person who relied on my personality and intelligence to get me where I am in life and ever since I was exposed to this awful therapy I've been a complete mess. I strongly, strongly recommend that those considering this therapy do intense research and make sure that the therapist you use is a trained professional in the craft. You do not want to live your life in misery. We only get one life and it shouldn't be destroyed by people that like to play God.

That being said anyone with recommendations on dealing with the aftermath? Praying for a do over hasn't been working out too well and any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Blazkausa]

Hi Harrison,

I am really sorry to read about your experience. It must have been and apparently still is very hard for you. I wish I could give an advice, but I myself feel like I reached the end of the rope.

However, I really identifie with your experience. I myself regret so much that I didn't do any research about what I was getting myself into. I feel angry with the therapist. She never explained to me anything. I even had the impression that she did it on purpose, because if I'd only new what that therapy was about, I would never agreed to it. I felt just like an NHS number. The therapist didn't show any interest in me as a person. She only had a briefe outlook on my life and my issues. I was hoping to find somebody who would understand and could provide an advice and guidance.

However, I learned from this experience. I believe that any form of psychology absolutely cannot work. It only plays with the mind but doesn't engage the heart. To truly heal anything one need to find meaning and bring ones soul into the process of healing. Even though my problems have gotten worst after my 'therapy', I feel much more grateful now for honest friendship, conversation or even a smile. . . This experience has taught me that 'love' is something that money can not buy.

Dear Harrison, I honestly hope you will find healing soon and that what you are experiencing now will soon pass.

 

[anthony]

Any type of therapy will literally open Pandoras box. If you bring a secret to light, it doesn't matter how you do it, you will become flooded with emotion.

Where I agree with you Harrison, is that you raised the secret, you raised there was a flood of emotion, that is the point a therapist should have stopped and just talked with you, not tried to perform EMDR upon you and continue digging further. Just by resolving all those new emotions, then sure... more may have arisen, but it would have calmed you.

I don't think in your case it was EMDR, but instead you simply had a stupid therapist. Once you open pandoras box, you have to keep going in order to close it again. It also takes much longer to close it than it does to open it.

 

[lisa e]

Oops I guess I did something wrong on the prior post. Anyway, so glad I found this forum and I've felt so lost since.

I had emdr with a doctor who told me francine trained him herself.. His name is David Grand and after his treatment I've lost so much of my creativity and memory. My brain isn't as fluid as it was before and I haven't been able to write.

This doctor did emdr and then told me he 'practised' a new technique that he developed.. I heard from another doctor brain damage but they were very hush hush about it but they did say this David Grand has done this many times before because he is very aggressive and comes up w/ new techniques that he uses on his patients without their knowledge.

I felt like someone 'blew' out my brain but I never talked to people before on a forum like this. Also, I did have a diagnosis of complex ptsd but never knew that would have excluded me from emdr... Is there any treatment for this kind of brain damage. Thank you.

 

[littletrees]

I went into therapy for simple help with a stomach phobia. They therapist started emdr after our first meeting. He had no real idea of the years of trauma I've had. I did not know much about emdr. It unleashed everything. I have new phobias abd panic....not only that I am typing this from a group home I had to go to after I ended up in the er. I am not the same person and no one wants to hear about when this new "invention" goes wrong.

 

[cherryblossom]

I totally feel for you littletrees.

I grasped on to EMDR when I was desperately low, and it had bad consequences for me also. I was severely re traumatised by someone I now feel wasn't capable of treating me with EMDR.

Neither your case, or mine was a case of a "new invention" going wrong. It was a case of a bad practitioner, practising badly. EMDR does have scientifically proved results. It is not the technique that is wrong, just the practitioner delivering it.

An example would be a routine hip replacement. The science has proved that it works, science has also proved that it is a fairly low risk operation, in the right circumstances. A proficient surgeon comes along, and assesses the patient, once or twice, if necessary. They gain a full medical history, and assess the patient for risk factors. They weigh up the pros and cons, discuss these with the patient and then between them they decide whether or not to go ahead with surgery. If I pitched up, and offered my services to replace the hip, it would be a complete disaster. Regardless how many books I read about replacing hips, I don't have the proper training or experience to perform the operation.

EMDR isn't a 'new invention', it is trialled and proven. The problem is with the practitioners, who 'give it a go', despite having never had any training or experience.

After your experience with EMDR, I don't expect you to give it another go. I would never try it again :eek: However, there are other techniques to managing PTSD. I really hope that you find this forum helpful, that you will find techniques to manage your stress, and that you will see hope for a better future.

 

[zbztster]

I had a bad experience with EMDR as well. It's too bad too because I think it would have been a really good experience had it been conducted with a better, more educated approach. This person did EMDR the first time we met together. The war in my head was one of the worse things I'd ever experienced. I, too, was re-traumatized.
I think EMDR is probably a very good therapy when it is exercised cautiously. I might try it again someday.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

They therapist started emdr after our first meeting. He had no real idea of the years of trauma I've had. I did not know much about emdr. It unleashed everything. I have new phobias abd panic....not only that I am typing this from a group home I had to go to after I ended up in the er. I am not the same person and no one wants to hear about when this new "invention" goes wrong.

Please report this therapist. IMHO it is extremely irresponsible if not unprofessional to start a treatment such as EMDR on the first meeting. Perhaps you can help someone else from falling prey to this shady therapist.

 

[littletrees]

I apologize in advance for spelling mistakes. My phone is not the easiest to type on.

I left the group home. They were not helping me.

I made appointments with new doctors not associated with the place I went too. I also understand that the therapist did the emdr badly. I will be filling a complaint out. I still would not have the emdr done if I had known more about it. I have new fears and phobias. Sometimes I feel like I'm in a dreamworld.

I'm coping now by finishing my xanax prescription from my er doctor until I see my new doctors. I feel more people need to speak out about this procedure. It was an invention by a lady who had an unaccredited degree, correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[wyvernchild]

Dear Bec,
I am thankful and grateful to find this post. My fiancee just started this therapy about a month ago. He is in the hospital now after relapsing really hard this weekend. I think this therapy had a whole lot to do with it. After reading the material here, I feel confirmed in what I was thinking. He was definitely not told that this is not for multiple serious traumas, in fact he was told the opposite.

I watched him for the past few weeks be tore up when he would have the therapy and have horrible nightmares about the incidents for days after, but he was reassured over and over that it was going to be beneficial in the end. Each week they would bring up different traumas and supposedly move them where ever. But in none of this am I seeing where they worked through what they brought up the week before.

As I sit here writing this, my common sense is screaming that you can't re-traumatize a person week after week and not deal with the things that are brought up before you bring up new ones. This past week was the two worst incidents in his life. Yeah two, not just one, in one hour long session. Then see ya next week. I might be a lay-person but this seems like the craziest thing I've ever heard. I'm ashamed to say that it took him snapping before I really delved into this side of it. There are tons of sites that talk about the benefits of this therapy. I've found two this morning that talk about this side of things.

As a kicker, the clinic where he went to get help goes by income level. The beginner therapists are 30 an hour and the fees raise quite quickly. When they found out his history, they did him the "favor" of sending him to a more advanced therapist yet only charging him the same amount. So we get the impression that he is getting really good therapy and these people care about him. When I go on the website this morning and look at the qualifications of the therapist who was helping him, it says she is working toward her licensure. The way I read it, the schooling is done but the experience is not. My fiancee is one of those people that they need to write a book about, from fetal alcohol and addiction through abandonment, horrible foster care and then into the system of institutionalized care to homelessness to recovery.

For someone who doesn't have the qualifications to be messing with his mind in the way that this did, I feel is malpractice. Dangerous malpractice. I feel that we were mislead in what the therapy would do and I'm really angry.

I would like to know if you know of any other places where I can find information on how this goes wrong and possibly what the long term effects are. Thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one not singing the praises of EMDR.

 

[cat]

I am so sorry to hear you've had such bad experiences with EMDR. I was so lucky to engage in this therapy with my psychologist, it has been my life saver. Yes its very tough to go through but the results are amazing.

Please, if you have the opportunity to try it again with another therapist make sure they are properly qualified. EMDR sessions should not start until you have developed a good trusting relationship with your T - for me this took about 3 months & they have a very good understanding of your trauma. The sessions should be very carefully prepared & not done on a weekly basis, you need time to work through issues emdr has revealed and for your increased symptoms to settle. I have ptsd from multiple trauma & my T did a very good job in balancing my sessions to avoid re traumatising me.

I am lucky enough to be in recovery, I hope that happens for all of you too, very soon xx