topic EMDR in Treatments, health professionals and therapies

EMDR

angelite — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 06:11:47 GMT

Hi just wondering if anyone has tried Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. I heard that it works really well for trauma and PTSD.

EMDR

HelenM — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 19:38:50 GMT

Hi Wittnall

I haven't tried it but have heard of it being used for PTSD.

I would imagine it's worth trying. Maybe check if there are any negatives to it first.

Helen

EMDR

Jo3 — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 02:21:22 GMT

Hi Wittnall

I tried EMDR therapy 3 yrs ago as my therapy wasn't improving due to my memories of being abused as a child over40 yrs ago. I had about 4 sessions before the pysch did the EMDR and with 2 sessions of EMDR I can now see my abuse as a far away picture. It is not right in front of me anymore (if that makes sense).

I would give it a go for trauma or PTSD. Make sure you find a pyschologist who uses EMDR. I had to look around for a while before I found one.

Good luck, interested to know how you go if you decide to do it.

EMDR

angelite — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 03:09:36 GMT

Thanks Jo l do get what you mean just hope this takes some of the pressure off and things are seen more at a distance. I will let you know how it goes.

Karen

EMDR

pattij — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 21:30:21 GMT

I use EMDR therapy as my primary psychotherapy treatment and I've also personally had EMDR therapy for anxiety, panic, grief, and “small t” trauma. One of the initial phases (Phase 2) in EMDR therapy involves preparing for memory processing or desensitization (memory processing or desensitization - phases 3-6 - is often what is referred to as "EMDR" which is actually an 8-phase method of psychotherapy). In this phase resources are "front-loaded" so that you have a "floor" or "container" to help with processing the really hard stuff, as well as creating strategies if you're triggered in everyday life. In phase 2 you learn how to access a “Safe or Calm Place” which you can use at ANY TIME during EMDR processing (or on your own) if it feels scary, or too emotional, too intense. One of the key assets of EMDR therapy is that YOU, the client, are in control NOW, even though you weren’t in the past, during traumatic events. You NEVER need re-live an experience or go into great detail, ever! You NEVER need to go through the entire memory. YOU can decide to keep the lights (or any method of bilateral stimulation) going, or stop them, whichever helps titrate – measure and adjust the balance or “dose“ of the processing. During EMDR processing there are regular “breaks” and you can control when and how many but the therapist should be stopping the bilateral stimulation every 25-50 passes of the lights to ask you to take a deep breath and say just a bit of what you’re noticing, anything different, any changes. The breaks help keep a “foot in the present” while you’re processing the past. Again, and I can’t say this enough, YOU ARE IN CHARGE so YOU can make the process tolerable. And your therapist should be experienced in the EMDR therapy techniques that help make it the gentlest and safest way to detoxify bad life experiences and build resources. Pacing and dosing are critically important. So if you ever feel that EMDR processing is too intense then it might be time to go back over all the resources that should be used both IN session and BETWEEN sessions. Your therapist can use a variety of techniques to make painful processing less painful, like suggesting you turn the scene in your mind to black and white, lower the volume, or, erect a bullet-proof glass wall between you and the painful scene, and so forth. There are a lot of these kinds of "interventions" that ease the processing.

EMDR

angelite — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 10:51:57 GMT

Thank you pattij that was really interesting, l hope the emdr helps with my PTSD and anxiety. I am worried that I'm not doing it properly, and embarrassed by my reactions.

Karen