[HALLIEBETH87]

Has anyone done this therapy? How did it go?

[zoiecat]

I've been doing EMDR for approximately the last 7 months on and off. It started with a car accident and developed into multiple traumas throughout childhood and College. I learned that everything that affects you as an adult somehow relates back to something that happened in childhood since I suffered constant abuse of all kinds as a kid this leads to very complex case for EMDR although it's taking a while I am starting to see some improvement. Some more trauma you've experienced in your life the longer it will take but it does work. I won't lie though be prepared for things to get worse before they get better. I would suggest before you begin EMDR make sure you've given your therapist a pretty solid background of your history of abuse so they can plan accordingly they may want to provide you more grounding tools before actually starting the memory processing. With EMDR you are always in control you can always stop at any point during the session and you don't have to tell the therapist what's actually in your head as long as they know that processing is continuing they're fine with that. I would discuss any questions you have though before you begin good luck to you with whatever you decide.

[HALLIEBETH87]

Did you find it difficult to stay stable initially? That's what I'm worried about. My psyd says he wants to make sure my bipolar is stable first but in still afraid. I'm afraid I'll get triggered and stay triggered. Also I'm afraid I won't be strong enough and I'll fail.

[zoiecat]

My T says one can never fail EMDR. He also says for people like me who are dissociative and have been through so much complex trauma there is no such thing as going too slow. I will admit the beginning was the worst. EMDR brings all kinds of stuff out of the woodwork. But once out, you can begin to deal with it. The after effects have gotten much easier as time as gone on but I now tend to dissociate more during sessions. That is OK, my T adjusts for whatever comes up. We now do shorter sets and he regularly asks how present I am. We stop when I start to dissociate, bring me back and continue on if I am game for it. Processing in EMDR stops if you are dissociating which is why this is so important. I am finally starting to see the degree of stress for my initial target memory start to go down. I am seeing progress and actually looking forward to continue working hard to get through all of my issues. It will take a long time but the end results will be worth it.

[HALLIEBETH87]

I dissociate too. He said EMDR will help that. I get derealization. It's awful. It just happened to me today after a flashback a little bit ago. I'm just now feeling now better. I'm so scared to deal with it all because I'm afraid of reliving it. I'm diagnosed Bpd but he has said he thinks it's more complex trauma. Whatever it is-all the abuse still scares me and I'm
So scared of how it'll feel going through it. I dont wanna be bad at EMDR. I care way too much what people think. I trust my psyd but im worried still.

How does he help you come back from the dissociation?

[zoiecat]

Don't worry about being bad at EMDR. You can't be bad, only your T can be bad at helping you process through it. They need to be specially trained especially for dissociation. My T asks me questions like 3 things I see, feel, hear, we do knee tapping, breathing, sometimes I will hold a cold Coke can out of his refrigerator. Different things like that until I am back in the room and present. I also work on mindfulness and grounding outside of session. We also have safe places that I go to mentally and sometimes he will put the buzzers on really slow while he has me think of safe places. That is another way to bring me back to the present.

[HALLIEBETH87]

Thanks for the info. After having a flashback earlier I think I am ready to talk more about it

[zoiecat]

Good luck to you. Discuss everything with your T so they know what you are dealing with up front. If they feel they are trained enough to handle your case I'm sure they will know how to get you through it. There will be a lot of prep work before you even begin the EMDR processing so take your time and keep your communication open with your T. I was stubborn in the beginning and now I see where that did not help me at all. I have learned to be more honest with my feelings now and things are going much more smoothly.

[*Laurie*]

Many years ago I was in therapy with a wonderful psychologist through the veteran's administration. He was one of the first people to train with Francine Shapiro in San Francisco. He was using EMDR with combat vets who had PTSD. My husband was the combat vet, but I had childhood abuse issues that resulted in PTSD. My therapist used EMDR to treat my issues and I found it very helpful. The technique helps you to work all the way through the issue.

I still use EMDR by myself sometimes.

[Chuds87]

Originally Posted by HALLIEBETH87

Has anyone done this therapy? How did it go?

I was excited at the prospect of doing emdr. When I finally did it, it helped me a lot with my trauma. I certainly recommend it. I am not so sure if it is a cure all, but its great therapy.

[Pflaumenkeks]

I did (and still do) EMDR Sessions and after the first down I'm at a better place then I was in years.
The start was hard. It was like opening a door and I was overwhelmed by all the stuff that came up.
But then it got better and better, I feel safer.
I wont be "cured" but at least it eases the tension in day to day life