Emdr- Yes Or No?

[Melp283]

I am new, not only to therapy but to this site as well. I experienced many years of sexual abuse as a child and a rape at 16. My new therapist (after the 2nd session) wants me to try EMDR to help my PTSD. I am terrified. I feel that this is going really fast, but maybe that's just me being a coward. Has anyone else tried EMDR? Did you find it helpful at all? Telling someone I have only talked to for a few hours all those memories does not sound appealing in the slightest...

 

[Lucycat]

Yes, I have had EMDR and yes I have found it very helpful. It is nowhere near as scary as it sounds. You, as the client are always in control, and can stop the session at any time. You don't necessarily have to tell your story out loud to the therapist - depending on how they work. I had to think of rather than speak of the memories and for me that was more acceptable.

There is usually a lot of preparatory work before the EMDR starts. When my T first told me about it, he lent me books to read about it and discussed how EMDR is thought to work. He taught me 'grounding' techniques, and together we developed my 'safe place'. Later on we also identified a 'safe person' to use with EMDR.

I know I am biased because it works well for me. I would certainly recommend it. Good luck!

 

[Lucycat]

[DLMURL]http://www.mysexualabuse.com/threads/emdr.992/[/DLMURL]

You might find this thread useful.

 

[rightkindofme]

EMDR is a mixed bag. Sometimes it is useful for me and sometimes it increases my distress. Only do it if you feel very comfortable with your therapist and like you can handle big hiccups that might come up, in my opinion. When I am really raw I just can't cope with it.