Question about EMDR for certain types of CPTSD

[Littlesoul]

I've had EMDR suggested to me a few times, I also explored the idea of it with a past therapist but was in an abusive situation at the time, I have also heard that for victims of organized ritual abuse and very severe forms of abuse (especially in childhood) it is a very no good bad idea and you should let your memories stay as they are and focus instead on symptom management. I'm curious to hear if anyone here has any opinions or experience with this, especially any medically documented info that maybe I couldn't find on my own! I'm willing to try just about anything to improve my symptoms but not something that will only increase my symptoms.

 

[Riley Jones]

Hey! I really appreciate you asking this—it's such an important question, and I can tell you're being really thoughtful about what might actually help you rather than just jumping into something.

So here's what I've picked up from conversations here and what seems to be the general sense: EMDR can be genuinely transformative for a lot of people, but it's also not one-size-fits-all, and the timing and your current stability matter *a lot*. The fact that you were in an abusive situation when you explored it before actually makes total sense—your nervous system probably wasn't in a place to handle the intensity of processing, which is really wise self-awareness on your part.

The thing about really severe, complex trauma (especially childhood stuff) is that sometimes the processing work needs to happen in a particular way and at a particular pace. Some folks do really well with EMDR once they have enough stability and grounding tools in place. Others find that slower, more gradual approaches work better for them. And honestly? Some people benefit from a hybrid approach—building symptom management skills first, then adding in processing work when they're ready.

What I'd say is this: if you do decide to explore EMDR again, finding a therapist who has *specific* experience with complex trauma and knows how to pace things carefully would be really important. They should be comfortable going slow, checking in with you constantly, and adjusting if things feel destabilizing. A good trauma therapist will never pressure you into processing before you're ready.

Have you thought about what "ready" would look like for you? Like, what stability or skills would need to be in place first?

 

[Freida]

So I've been doing emdr and it's been super, super helpful.
It's also been a nightmare.

With regular one incident ptsd it can work in 5 to 8 session. With cptsd? Well, I've been doing it for about 6 years cause I have lots of incidents. Which means that you HAVE to have a therapist that is trained in trauma therapy as well as emdr
Why?

Because of how it works.
The whole thing behind emdr is that it changes how you think about incidents and then allows you to let them go. Instead of being that constant nightmare in your head that drives ptsd it becomes just a sad memory from long ago.

But to do that you have to revisit the incident, let it play out, and start to look at it as something horrible in the past, not happening right now. It's an ugly process - when I first started I could only hold a memory for about 10 seconds before it overwhelmed me. So lots and lots of baby steps, grounding exercises, coping skills, blah blah blah. If you don't have the right kind of t they may rush you thru that part and that can be retraumitizing. Nowadays? I can go 60 minutes and not freak out.

So ya, ugly process, painful, needs specialy trained person, all the things.
And totally worth it!

The first time you get a memory sorted out, reviewed, understood and put in the past where it belongs? The feeling of relief is amazing. Its like a pressure has been lifted that you didn't even know was there. And each time you do a session you get that much better at how to do it so things start to go faster. The symptom managment is there - it just comes from releasing the feelings around the memory so they dissapates, rather than trying to learn how to just "manage" the symptoms themselves

There's a lot of really good studies about it these days - just make sure you are looking for cptsd and not ptsd. For those who say not to do it? Well ya, its just like everything else - it won't work for everyone. But it kept me alive so I'm biased LOL

But if you are working with someone trained in complex ptsd it can be life changing.

 

[Littlesoul]

So I've been doing emdr and it's been super, super helpful.
It's also been a nightmare.

With regular one incident ptsd it can work in 5 to 8 session. With cptsd? Well, I've been doing it for about 6 years cause I have lots of incidents. Which means that you HAVE to have a therapist that is trained in trauma therapy as well as emdr
Why?

Because of how it works.
The whole thing behind emdr is that it changes how you think about incidents and then allows you to let them go. Instead of being that constant nightmare in your head that drives ptsd it becomes just a sad memory from long ago.

But to do that you have to revisit the incident, let it play out, and start to look at it as something horrible in the past, not happening right now. It's an ugly process - when I first started I could only hold a memory for about 10 seconds before it overwhelmed me. So lots and lots of baby steps, grounding exercises, coping skills, blah blah blah. If you don't have the right kind of t they may rush you thru that part and that can be retraumitizing. Nowadays? I can go 60 minutes and not freak out.

So ya, ugly process, painful, needs specialy trained person, all the things.
And totally worth it!

The first time you get a memory sorted out, reviewed, understood and put in the past where it belongs? The feeling of relief is amazing. Its like a pressure has been lifted that you didn't even know was there. And each time you do a session you get that much better at how to do it so things start to go faster. The symptom managment is there - it just comes from releasing the feelings around the memory so they dissapates, rather than trying to learn how to just "manage" the symptoms themselves

There's a lot of really good studies about it these days - just make sure you are looking for cptsd and not ptsd. For those who say not to do it? Well ya, its just like everything else - it won't work for everyone. But it kept me alive so I'm biased LOL

But if you are working with someone trained in complex ptsd it can be life changing.

Thank you so much for this!! I really appreciate being able to hear someone else's positive experience with EMDR for CPTSD, I think maybe I am still not in a place where I'm ready to face it and that's where my hesitation comes from, but I'm glad to know it is still an option for me!!! I think maybe once I get further in my journey and more secure I can revisit the idea

 

[Freida]

You are very welcome!
And if it helps, you can use emdr to speed up the "how do I cope with all this stuff" process before you actually start the trauma work. It's weird, but it can sometimes help get the coping skills solidified faster than doing regular therapy.

 

[Lhazel11]

Yes I'd like to add that I have been going to talk therapy consistently since 2022 and on and off since I was 12. EMDR has helped me process so much better than just talking to a therapist. Because trauma lives deep in our brains and bodies, it feels amazing to "purge" this stuff out. I have been able to rest after sessions and not be as "high-alert" and stressed as I normally am. It is definitely what I needed!

 

[Littlesoul]

Yall are making me feel excited to give it another try possibly!

 

[Lhazel11]

Another example I had recently after an EMDR session was the emotion of anger coming up. I had buried that so deep within me that I had suppressed it. I feel that others also suppressed it within me because I was the child growing up who would point out my mom's alcoholism and how it was affecting us adversely - that was shut down. I also had relationships where people I dated did not like when I spoke up for myself.

The other day after my EMDR I had to go on several walks by the lake and listen to aggressive music to "get out" the intensity I was feeling. Even though it was activating and felt weird, the somatic stuff I have been doing like walking, yoga, jamming out to music, have definitely helped me settle my emotions as they come up. Hope this helps!