Emdr Question

[faraway]

Hi,

I tried EMDR for the first time this week and it didn't do anything at all. I just found the vibrating really distracting and all my attention was directed towards the two little vibrating paddles, whether they were in my hands or on my legs. It was if all my attention went towards trying not to feel the vibrating. (Backwards, I know, but it makes sense in the context of me.) We tried it about 4 times and on the last time the vibrating started to stop being in rhythm and I felt myself shrinking inside of my body, but that's about it. I couldn't focus on any memories because of the vibrating.

Anyway, I suppose I wondered if anyone else experienced no response to EMDR? is it common to not experience anything the first time? Will I need to have a few goes at this? I dunno, I feel like maybe there is something wrong with me for not having any real response to it?

I had read so much about EMDR on these forums and elsewhere and I was really hoping that it would be able to help me process things. I feel really flawed because it hasn't worked. Like this is one more thing that is wrong with me. I was prepared to have the negative reactions that people have described yet hoped for the positive. I suppose I feel really let down that I had no reaction at all.

Has anyone else found it ineffective in this way? Am I just being impatient? Any advice?

Many thanks for reading.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Hi, did you tell your therapist that it did not work for you so it could be reajusted? I was doing rapid eye movement and it was not working so now she taps on my hands with a stick with a soft ball on the end. I hope it will work out for you. I hope you do not feel too discouraged by this setback.

Your therapist can make adjustments so that it will work for you. I cannot imagine how you feel. I wish you better luck the next time. I am finishing up on emdr and it has made a huge difference in my life. I am not longer tortured and tormented by the really bad memories. Best of luck to you. Hang on and do not give up.

 

[Deleted member 16646]

During EMDR you learn a lot of great coping strategies and self-soothing techniques which you can use during EMDR processing or anytime you feel the need. You learn how to access a “Safe or Calm Place” which you can use at ANY TIME during EMDR processing (or on your own) if it feels too intense. One of the initial phases in EMDR involves preparing the client for memory processing or desensitization (the 4th phase in the 8 phases of EMDR therapy).

Resources are "front-loaded" so that you have a "floor" or "container" to help with processing the really hard stuff. One of the key assets of EMDR is that YOU, the client, are in control NOW, even though you probably weren't in past traumatic events. You NEVER need re-live an experience or go into great detail. You NEVER need to go through the entire memory. YOU can decide to keep the lights (or the alternating sounds and/or tactile pulsars, or the waving hand) going, or stop them, whichever helps titrate – measure and adjust the balance or “dose“ of the processing. And YOU can decide what kind of bilateral stimulation works for you (eye movement, tactile, auditory).

During EMDR processing there are regular “breaks” and you can control when and how many but the therapist should be stopping the bilateral stimulation every 25-50 passes of the lights to ask you to take a deep breath and ask you to say just a bit of what you’re noticing. This helps keep a “foot in the present” while you’re processing the past. Again, and I can’t say this enough, YOU ARE IN CHARGE so YOU can make the process tolerable. And your therapist should be experienced in the EMDR techniques that help make it the gentlest and safest way to detoxify bad life experiences.

I hope your therapist did some "front-loading" of resources! Check out the EMDR Network dot org slash description, for a full description.

 

[faraway]

Hi pattijane, yep, we went through all that you mention. He's a very well respected trauma therapist, so this is not about him at all, rather a question about myself. Nothing happened - positive or negative - and I just wondered if that was common or not? Like I said, all I could do was focus on not focusing on the vibrations. it just seemed silly, i suppose. I wondered if anyone else had experienced that? If that was common the first time EMDR was tried?

gizmo, that's such a joy to read. I hope that I can say that one day. Thanks. :)

 

[Deleted member 16646]

Faraway, it is not so unusual for people to take a little time to get into the mind-set of "just letting whatever happens, happen." Focusing or not focusing on the vibrations is just what happened your first time. You can't do EMDR wrong! So take a deep breath, don't worry if something happens or not, and my best guess (and experience!) is that eventually you will let your body/mind/feelings "have their way" and things will start to shift fo you!

 

[therapybankrupt]

Hi Faraway! I am presently doing EMDR. I think for me it has a lot to do with trust of my T and my willingness to let it happen. I have the headphone and the hand buzzers. It has served me well so far! Best wishes to you on your journey!

 

[faraway]

Thanks, therapybankrupt. :)

pattijane, I'm not very good at letting whatever happens happen, nor at trust, so this is good to think about and be aware of. Thanks again. :)

 

[faraway]

I take this back. Talk about leaving a door ajar. :/