Sufferer RTA (Road Traffic Accident) Survivor and need help

[Sophiem121]

I am Sophie and Back in February I was hit by a car. It was going 50mph on a 20mph street. I was severely injured and very close to death, it was a miracle that I survived. Apart from the physical injuries, brain injury and stroke. I have also been diagnosed with PTSD 3 months ago. I can’t go outside alone and find traffic very hard to deal with. I am doing EMDR but I find it traumatises me for around 5 days after, does anyone have any positive experience with EMDR? Just really struggling with the internal pain and flashbacks any advice? Please.

 

[Survivor3]

Hi @Sophiem121 ,welcome to the site .

 

[WinnieThePoohChris]

Hi Sophie, welcome.

I have done EMDR, I found it to be positive in the end, but it is very difficult.

Sometimes I would just get over the previous session in time for the next one. I did ask for breaks and calmer sessions at times. Ask to just talk or take it easier if you are finding it hard.

Have you worked on safeplace and grounding techniques?

Have you managed to identify any flashback triggers? Sunglasses, listening to music or being with someone might help when going outside, or inside after sessions.

 

[Movingforward10]

Sorry for what you went through.

I haven't done EDMR but other therapy, and therapy does unsettle you as you process the trauma that the session brought up.
I kind of see it like the therapy throws everything up on the air, and the days after is us trying to work out how it lands, only for it to throw everything up in the air again the following week. Therapy is tough. But it also helps.

It will get better.

Do you maybe need to work on some grounding stuff before digging things up on the EDMR session?

The internal pain gets better and the flashbacks lessen. It's practice, and trial and error, about working out how to manage them.

 

[arfie]

hello sophie. welcome to the forum. sorry for what brings you here but glad you are here.

i have no personal experience with emdr, but i don't believe there is a pain free way to heal. processing those emotions, etc., is gonna hurt, whichever way you take it. neglecting/abusing the injuries hurts worse in the long run. so? ? ?

i hate picking poisons. . . can i indulge in a wish to avoid the necessity by rewriting the past?

 

[PlainJane]

Welcome to the forum! I didn't finish EMDR, but I think I was gaining ground. We were combining Ketamine and EMDR, and insurance pulled the rug out to make a long story short. We decided that continuing with EMDR without Ketamine would be unproductive at this point. However, I do think there's merit to it.

 

[Friday]

Welcome to the community!

I am doing EMDR but I find it traumatises me for around 5 days after,

Cha. That’s the difference between trauma therapy & most other kinds of therapy.

Trauma Therapy is far more akin to Physical Therapy following reconstructive surgery, meanwhile most other forms of therapy are like going to the doctor with a cough, or broken bone, and walk out feeling better already.

With trauma therapy everything is going to get worse, before it gets better… so predictably… that most trauma therapists don’t actually DO trauma therapy with their clients for several months whilst teaching grounding techniques, stress management skills, etc. & making sure the client’s life itself is stable enough to absorb the blows .

 

[WinnieThePoohChris]

Are you doing ok Sophie?

Stuck in my head that what you went through must still be quite new and raw.

Perfectly normal to be having a hard time. Take all the time you need and do what you can when you can. Slow and steady will get you where you want to be quicker.

 

[oliver767]

That is incredibly heavy, and surviving a 50mph hit on a residential street is truly a miracle.

EMDR is intense because it forces you to process the trauma rather than just bury it, which is likely why you feel drained for days after.

When I was dealing with the aftermath of a major collision, I found that having lawyers take over the insurance calls helped me focus purely on therapy.

Stick with the sessions if you can, but maybe ask your therapist to slow the pace.

 

[Riley Jones]

That is incredibly heavy, and surviving a 50mph hit on a residential street is truly a miracle.

EMD...

Hi Sophie, a huge warm welcome to you here—I'm so glad you've found your way to us. What you've been through sounds absolutely harrowing, and surviving that kind of accident is nothing short of incredible... it takes real courage to share it like this and keep pushing forward with your healing.

I've had some experience with EMDR myself, and yeah, it can feel brutally intense at first—like it's ripping open old wounds before they can start to mend. The good news? For me, those rough days after sessions did start to shorten over time, and the flashbacks got quieter as we built in more safety nets. I totally second what others have said about asking for slower pacing, breaks, or even just talk sessions when it's too much. Grounding tools were a game-changer too—like container exercises or a quick safe place visualization before diving in. Have you tried pairing it with something gentle afterward, like a favorite playlist or a short walk with a trusted buddy?

You're not alone in this struggle, and it's okay to feel that internal ache right now—it's part of the process, but it does ease with patience and the right tweaks. You've got this strength in you already; lean on it, and we're here cheering you on every step. What's one small thing that's helped even a tiny bit so far? Sending you the softest hugs.

 

[Dark.Green.Feathers]

therapy sucks. no two ways about it really. but I really encourage trying to build a communicative relationship with your therapist, if you haven't already. if it is too intense/fast for you, or you want to work on building skills to care for the hangover after therapy that should be an option to you. the therapeutic relationship is very important, also fine to find someone else if your T isnt right for you, if you have the option.

I've never done full blown EMDR but I've been using elements of it in therapy for 2 maybe 3 years now, my therapist is trained in it but it would be too much full hog for me at this point.. has really moved things along for me though, in the tiny doses I have. not that it's fun but I am doing much better than I was before. which is hard to keep perspective on because better ≠ feeling good, but my QOL is definitely better.

emdr is hard because it's pretty good at peeling back stuff, that's how it works in my case anyway. peeling back layers to reveal other, sometimes even more unpleasant layers to deal with... but having less layers to wade through is good in the end, it has a cumulative effect. chipping away at the trauma onion.


but yeah. trauma therapy hangover is not fun, and will also come with every modality you go for. any skills and resources to care for yourself during that time could be very useful in riding it out til next time.
Im not concerned that you have a bad T or anything like that but also good for everyone to remember that skilled / qualified T that you can't get along with isn't going to help, just like a very "nice" T with no experience or trauma informed training isn't going to do much either.