Quote:
Originally Posted by SunflowerWannabe
Hi all,
Just looking for some advice/feedback from anyone who has had EMDR over a relatively short period.
I was diagnosed with CPTSD three years ago, and 5 weeks ago finally began therapy - 16 weeks of EMDR. I wasn't told in advance what the therapy would be so had assumed it would be talking therapy.
The therapist told me at the start that I would get a maximum of sixteen weeks, so had to get through as much as possible in that time. So without really talking about the multiple traumas I've lived through, she had me make a list (23 separate trauma events) and start doing EMDR sessions on each trauma, basically one a week.
From what I've read this is beyond wrong - these sessions are leaving me traumatised and anxious afterwards. I feel like talking things through would be better and am now dreading each session, and wishing it was all over. Today's session is about domestic abuse, I really can't process 14 years of horrendous abuse in a session or two.
Had anyone else experienced EMDR in such a short timeframe? I'm really trying my best to give it a good shot, but feel like she just wants the right answer - when I'm honest she sighs and makes me start again.
Thanks in advance.
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usually with this kind of therapy there isnt a lot of talking through the traumas in great detail. its about taking the most truamatic elements in each trauma and learning the EMDR tools to combat the triggers.
the first "phase" is one or more sessions of gathering basic client history information (idetnifying what the trauma events are- in other words make a list of traumas to work on) usually after making a list the treatment provider asks the client to pick one from the list to work on. then they move into phase 2. this only took one session for me and my treatment provider to do.
phase two is preparation.. treatment provider explains the process and how to do EMDR - how many sessions you will have, what you will be doing, what your therapist will be doing then after answering any questions it moves into phase three. this took my treatment provider and I only one session to do.
phase three is assessment - this is where the client gets to talk a bit about the traumas. it isnt set up as the typical talk therapy. now that the treatment provider has a list of traumas they ask questions and the client answers the questions and the treatment provider keeps the client on track of following the flow of the guiding questions. I did find this part of the process a bit triggering because I was used to having a whole session to talk about what I wanted to talk about and not talk about things I didnt want to talk about, and the treatment providers questions kept leading into the harder to talk about areas of the trauma, with good reason thats what EMDR is for. its for learnnig how to deal with the hard stuff. this took me only a few sessions as my treatment provider and I only chose one trauma to work on at a time. EMDR isnt where you work on a bunch of traumas all at once. you take one at a time and go through the phases for one then when thats complete and if more EMDR sessions are needed for another trauma the new referral is done.
phase four five and 6 are called desensitization, installation, and body scan. this is where you are answering your therapists questions abouot the one
chosen trauma, while keeping grounded and focused on special physical movements like moving your eyes, tapping with your fingers, holding a vibrating object... what your special movements are will depend upon what your therapist thinks will help you. for me it was holding an object and tapping while watching a mobile on the wall.
phase 7 is closure, having one last EMDR session then schedule the follow up session. this is where my therapist and I talked briefly on what I learned and reminders of how to do the process on my own and answer any questions I had.
phase 8 re evaluation... this is the follow up appointment after some time has past where you get to go to your therapist with your journal and so on and talk about how things went between your closure session and that day of the follow up session. and decide if more EMDR sessions are needed. if so a referral is sent in to the insurance requesting another 16 weeks to work the process with the same trauma again or a new one from the list. with me it only took one round of EMDR for one trauma and I did return and do the process with other trauma's since the process worked so well for me on one trauma.
my suggestion is have your treatment provider write out each of the phases and what you will be doing and what you can expect. that might help you to feel more in control of this new to you therapy process.