Has Anyone Else Struggled With Emdr? Please

[Shann0n]

I appreciate all of the feedback, unfortunately I don't have the luxury of waiting to deal with this because I'm in the middle of a lawsuit. Also I'm struggling in college from social anxiety, insomnia, dissociation, among other things so this is something I need to deal with.
However, I don't think this has to do with me not being ready, I looked for a therapist to confront my problems so I'm ready to deal with it. This just doesn't seem like it's making anything better, only worse. I haven't noticed one positive change in my life since starting EMDR, and the only difference I feel after a session is more angry, upset, irritated, anxious, and depressed. I can't sleep for two days leading up to therapy and around two to three days after so most of my life is consumed by dread. I dread my doctors appointments for my back, I dread my therapy, I dread class, social gatherings, just getting out of bed. I shut up at a point.
It was bad before therapy, but it has just gotten so much worse. I'm so scared that I'm never going to get better.

 

[joeylittle]

EMDR was too much for me. Look into Somatic or EFT. You need to be with someone good at them, but they are both less invasive than some folks find EMDR to be.

 

[seedling]

I've had intense feelings generated by the EMDR and it seems like it's going to be a struggle. At the same time I see the benefits.

Even when I am struggling afterward, I check with myself and find that I am looking forward to going to the next appointment to get more work done.
If you are dreading the treatment so much maybe it's not right for you right now.

I would also suggest EFT. My acupuncturist taught me how to do the tapping on my own and it has been another tool for me to use. I used it a lot in the beginning. It helped but wasn't overpowering in bringing up too much too fast.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I understand you want to get better, but I think the perception of "not having the luxury of waiting to deal with this" is a bit off. Yes, I know that there are lawsuit timelines for auto accidents, and that's 3 years, right? However, pushing yourself to go through therapy that you're not ready for isn't doing yourself any favors, and could in fact make you worse. Healing is not a race. Its not something you can put on a timeline. It happens when it happens, and you have no control over how fast you heal. What I mean is that you can't go into therapy and think that after 10 EMDR sessions you will be ok. Nope, it doesn't work like that. Sometimes people bounce around to different types of therapy. Sometimes EMDR must be spaced out in order to ensure stability. We can push ourselves forward, but we can't determine how fast we get better.

I'd like to throw this out there since you seem to be under a lot of pressure to heal. Many of us have been through quite a few types of therapy. Personally, I've tried DBT (more than once), ACT, CBT, EMDR, neurofeedback, intensive trauma therapy, art therapy, IFST and have been through a number of major hospitalizations. Yes, this is a lot, but I had to keep on pushing forward as no one modality was enough to truly heal me. I think the statistic that is thrown around for healing from a single trauma is 12 or 13 years.....not from the trauma, but from diagnosis. (Its a lot longer if you had ongoing or childhood trauma). So really, you've barely started on this journey. I'm not saying this to rain on your parade or to discourage you. I'm saying this so that you can see it is a long term issue that doesn't have a quick fix. Yes, you've got lots of pressure in life, but healing PTSD can't be forced.

 

[Rumors]

@Solara"I think the statistic that is thrown around for healing from a single trauma is 12 or 13 years.....not from the trauma, but from diagnosis"

Really???? No sh*t????? I have obviously never read up on time frames of healing, but Holy mother.... Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack the thread.

 

[Lucycat]

I've been in therapy since October and I don't feel it has made any difference.

That is a very short time frame. For me I was in therapy, having decided that EMDR was appropriate , for several weeks/months before we got down to the real hard work of EMDR. The beginning was all preparatory stuff that felt like it was time wasting but was so important.

I suggest you need to be really open and honest with your T and tell them of your frustration. Maybe you are trying to move through this too fast, and are not getting down to the finer detail of every feeling and emotion that needs to be targeted.

 

[seedling]

I agree with @Lucycat about the short time frame. I remember @ISupportHer saying in a post once that it took a couple of years for his wife to get a handle on her PTSD.

I am starting to understand the things I can do/use, now, that therapy has taught me, that make the EMDR possible at this point.

My new therapist showed me how she teaches deep breathing as a coping tool. I have done a few years of breathing practice so I took what she showed me and added it to what I was already doing.
With the therapy I have done previous to EMDR I am able to name my emotions, or, if I can't, I understand that too. This has all helped me start the EMDR and deal with what it's like. The memories coming up the way they do is familiar after the other work I've done.

Hang in there with your therapy journey.

 

[Just Me]

So I did EMDR for the second time today. The first time I thought was a bunch of hocus-pocus. However, the second time, I BURST into tears. My body started shaking and I although I was trying to compose myself, I simply couldn't. I tried to think rationally and not "give-in" to this silly technique, but I simply could not gain my composure until the buzzing stopped.

I HATE being out of control, hence the EMDR therapy. I THINK its working. Going back for more "torture" next week. :-)

 

[Frogs88]

Make sure you have a little cafe or something to go to after ever session and just sit for a while having a cup of tea and something to eat. You need to give your brain time to go from EMDR mode to normal fuctioning.