How To Disclose Body Memories In Therapy?

[Bs3lht]

I'm part way through a course of EMDR & suffering terribly with body memories in these sessions.

I often feel the tightening & pains related to the abuse but where I had a pleasurable response during the assault I'm experiencing that also. And I find that so shameful & embarrassing therefore haven't disclosed it to my T.

She will often comment that my body remembers a lot where my brain hasn't so I'm sure she knows but I'm having trouble putting it out there, any tips?

Lau

 

[NoWhereKnowWhere]

Do you have be specific? I have what you described too. I particularly feel shame about the arousal body memories. I'd honestly prefer the pain. I just said to my T I'm experiencing body memories. She ask if it was pain and I said yes and other stuff. She asked if I wanted to talk about it more in depth I said no.
I told her I feel a lot of shame and guilt about it and I just can't talk about it yet.

Now we speak about body memories but not specifically what the sensation is. It helps to be able to talk about it non specifically for me.

You could try writing a note to your T and just handing it to her if you feel you can't say it. You could also say I want to tell you something but I'm feeling a lot of shame and embarrassment about it. She might just give you a good idea as to how to share with her.

Best of luck and I empathise with you for what your going through.it really sucks. Gentle :hug:s if you accept them.

 

[Rumors]

I haven't brought the subject up, but I get them as well. Painful memories.... Ugh. Not sure that I could check in about that just yet.

 

[Panda Bear]

Ugh! All of those nasty memories, even the personal ones......I did eventually tell T, it was the only way to make things better. Sucked at the time, but he didn't bat an eye and we worked through them. The emdr worked for the body memories, we targeted them and did our best.

The emdr brought out intense physical memories, I remember crying from the pain, it hurt so bad. He told me that not everyone felt this way, but it happens. I found the more intense the physical response I was having, the more effective the emdr was. Now when I feel physical pain/body memories, I ask did some emdr during sessions.

T really wanted to know and know specially what was the pain and where, because each abuse I encountered as a child, hurt in a different way and in a different place. When I wasn't able to verbalize much, besides where things hurt, it was a place for use to start. We used it as a foundation to learn verbal feelings and how to minimize distressing feelings, triggers and learn to cope. Some coping skills worked for some memories and not for others.

Anyways, it's important for them to know....it helped me to end them! I know it sucks!

 

[maurybrooks]

I have used drawing and painting extensively to work through feeling stuff in my body. I have an ultra sensitive body and when I draw it is like an abstract landscape of my inner body response patterns. I also use the lines or colors to support releasing the issues. I like doing this without words and it can be extremely draining at times. Lately I have been thinking about how I often fall asleep during drawings even if I was wide awake when I started.

I have also found that looking at certain pictures can support the release of issues.