Emdr book: Getting past your past and self techniques what do you think

So I bought this book called getting past your past, very intense book by the way the author is the one who I think invented emdr Im not sure though, but its full of excercises, In it , it has these tapping skills you use like emdr and sets of it, for bilateral purposes, which are suppose to bring up emotions, so it says to be sure and have a safe place in mind before you continue with these excercises.

You are suppose to tap your thighs back and forth for a set or something like that, the complete instructions are in the book, but while you are doing so, you are suppose to bring up a target memory of disturbance on a scale of 6.

I havent done this yet, kinda scary, but maybe I will, what do you guys think

I hope you find it helpful

Hello, I just bought the book today.... I am currently doing emdr therapy... It has been helpful... doing it yourself - I'm not sure it's a good idea depending on what you are doing it for...

hi, I have not yet done the excercises as they seem to be very triggering, and i have been going through some recent intrusions and bad nitemares and body memories, i am starting to work through csa , my t told me she wished she was trained in emdr, but she is not, and i am not willing to change t. She is doing a great job.

I had a therapist try EMDR on me even though she was not properly trained. I found it very triggering - of course, because you bring up the emotions! Plus it felt idiotic to have her fingers wiggling in front of me foolishly. EMDR and EFT (tapping) are pseudoscience. Of course it's good if the therapist can support you as you bring up emotions, and if some physical distraction helps in some way, that might help sometimes I suppose. For me, the only bright spot and sensible part is of these therapies is the affirmations. An affirmation such as "Even though I have . . . . . I fully and profoundly accept myself" is a valuable concept to embrace. Quite valuable, I'd say, in our very rejecting and judging culture!

Hi sweepy. I was glad to hear you made it through nye! Me too.

I have read the book and think it has some really useful skills and techniques, and great for a deeper understanding if how trauma can affect the brain. My only caution would be to not do any of the memory searching or processing yourself......... this is the advice myT gave me because he said it can be unsafe if I dont have the ability to ground safely myself. Also especially if it is memories never before talked about.l......that is one of the things we can do in therapy itself.

Take good care hun.

About a year or two ago when we were doing EMDR my T told me about that book. I read it, and found it interesting, but I didn't do many of the exercises. Yes, the author, Francine Shapiro, I think, "discovered EMDR". I'm not sure whether EMDR helped me or not. I would also caution you not to do the exercises by yourself, or least talking to your T about them first.

I always thought--and still kind of suspect--- that EMDR is a bit of a fraud. But my main T surprised me and when asked, said that there is some evidence/some studies that actually support its effectiveness.

I am curious if this works for you and others--if so, go for it. I'm still a bit of a skeptic.

I was a skeptic but my T believed in it. I thought it was weird but I did it anyway. I think it helped me to light matches (I have always been afraid of fire) but I don't think it changed my brain, as my T said it would.

I think she still does EMDR with other clients, but not with me. She said it got me in my head too much (I think it made me think about HER too much) and SE was better for me, because that's about what I'm feeling in my body, not in my head.

There IS something to that alternate stimulation, I think. There is a lot we don't know about the brain, and a lot that we are learning. I want to ask my T what she thinks about EMDR now. The last time I asked she still used it, in collaboration with IFS and SE.

Thx the exercises are too scary

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I had half dozen sessions of Emdr.....it worked unbelievably well to quell some of my traumas:.
However, I would not do it alone. I believe you need a t to guide You and help you to process. My outcomes were positive, and lasted a couple years. I think could use a few more sessions. I don't feel It's harmful as long as you trust your T.

Masimo, you are SO right! EMDR therapy is meant to be used with an experienced therapist, even though the techniques from the book are very helpful to use on one's own.

I'm a psychologist who uses EMDR therapy as my primary treatment psychotherapy and I've also personally had EMDR therapy for anxiety, panic, grief, and “small t” trauma. As a client, EMDR therapy worked extremely well and also really fast. As an EMDR therapist, and in my role as a facilitator who trains other therapists in EMDR therapy (certified by the EMDR International Assoc. and trained by the EMDR Institute) I have used EMDR successfully with panic disorders, childhood sexual/physical/emotional abuse and neglect, single incident trauma and complex/chronic PTSD, anxiety, depression, grief, body image, phobias, distressing memories, bad dreams and more...

To understand more about EMDR therapy, it's really crucial that the therapist spends enough time in one of the initial phases (Phase 2) in EMDR therapy that involves preparing for memory processing or desensitization (memory processing or desensitization - phases 3-6 - is often referred to as "EMDR" which is actually an 8-phase psychotherapy). In this phase resources are "front-loaded" so that you have a "floor" or "container" to help with processing the really hard stuff. In Phase 2 you learn a lot of great coping strategies and self-soothing techniques which you can use during EMDR processing or anytime you feel the need. 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. So if you start feeling overwhelmed or that it's too intense, you can ground yourself (with your therapist's help in session, and on your own between sessions) and feel safe enough to continue the work. In my practice, after the Phase 2 work lets us know that my patient is safe enough and able to cope with any emotion and/or physical sensation both during and between EMDR processing sessions, I often suggest we try a much less intense memory first if there is one that happened BEFORE the trauma(s). If there isn't one, then I suggest we start developmentally with the least disturbing memory and work our way "up" to the most disturbing event(s).

Grounding exercises are indispensable in everyday life, and really essential in stressful times. Anyone can use some of the techniques in Dr. Shapiro's new book "Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Self-Help Techniques from EMDR." Dr. Shapiro is the founder/creator of EMDR therapy but all the proceeds from the book go to two charities: the EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Program and the EMDR Research Foundation). Anyway, the book is terrific. It's an easy read, helps you understand what's "pushing" your feelings and behavior, helps you connect the dots from past experiences to current life. Also teaches readers lots of helpful techniques that can be used immediately and that are also used during EMDR therapy to calm disturbing thoughts and feelings. However, one needs an experienced EMDR therapist to do serious psychotherapy!

One of the key assets of EMDR is that YOU, the client, are in control NOW, even though you likely were not during past 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 the alternating sounds and/or tactile pulsars, or the waving hand, or hand/knee tapping - all forms of bilateral stimulation that should be decided by the client for the client's comfort) 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 or so passes of the lights to ask you to take a deep breath and to say just a bit of what you’re noticing. 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 having a therapist who is experienced in the EMDR techniques helps make it the gentlest and safest way to neutralize 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. They are called "cognitive interweaves" that your therapist can use, and that also can help bring your adult self's perspective into the work (or even an imaginary Adult Perspective). Such interweaves are based around issues of Safety, Responsibility, and Choice. So therapist questions like "are you safe now?" or "who was responsible? and "do you have more choices now?" are all very helpful in moving the processing along.

In addition to my therapy practice, I roam the web looking for EMDR therapy discussions, try to answer questions about it posted by clients/patients, and respond to the critics out there. It's not a cure-all therapy. However, it really is an extraordinary psychotherapy and its results last. In the hands of a really experienced EMDR therapist, it's the most gentle way of working through disturbing experiences.

thx jane, I have not read it yet I saw some excercises which i am afraid to try, also i dont know if you have read my recent posts, but my t is leaving in 5 weeks im in emotional meltdown.