Struggling with emdr

[Freida]

As I understand it the idea is to take your negative thought "I deserved this" and change it to a positive one " I didn't deserve this"

Positive doesn't mean happy. It means the opposite of negative. It's to get you to process the memory with the emotions it should have (fear pain etc) and not the ones you attach via ptsd (I deserved it)

Make sense??

 

[Zavariell]

As I understand it the idea is to take your negative thought "I deserved this" and change it to a positi...

It makes sense I'm just not sure how I would go about doing it. Should I be really focusing on the negative belief at all times when thinking about the trauma? Or is it just that as I'm doing the EMDR I should feel like I relate less to that belief the more I explore my feelings/response?

 

[Freida]

That's a tough one. Sometimes I am facing such a horrible memory that I can't hold a thought in my brain. For those we use emdr to help the memory settle..the we can do the positive/negative stuff. Other times we can go straight to the ratings.

 

[Zavariell]

Ah I see. I think I need to get to the point where I'm really more emotional involved in the memory then before the positive/negative cognition stuff will start being more relevant or changing. Cos at the moment I'm still pretty detached.

 

[Freida]

yep - that's what I've been doing with my latest and greatest memory bubble --- Cant be "in" it so I'm still above it. EMDR pulls me back into my body

 

[Zavariell]

Do you think there's any tips or tricks I can do when I'm in the sessions to listen to my emotions more? Or will it just come with practice?

 

[Freida]

practice. I think the biggest ah-ha for me was when I stopped fighting to control it and just went with it.

 

[Zavariell]

Haha I think my problem was not realising I was fighting it in the first place. At least now I know and can start trying to let myself feel