[OneWorld]

Hello, all. I am new here and actually really nervous about even writing. I started going to therapy a year ago to deal wiht anxiety issues and relationship issues with my husband. I went for a few months before stopping for a while when T had a baby. Shortly before stopping then, I finally was able to admit to her that I have some underlying beliefs about myself that are really affecting every other aspect of my life. I just resumed a few weeks ago and we are re-evaluatting that part. I get so terrified when that topic is brought up that I just freeze. She said today that she wants to treat it as trauma since I'm having a trauma response even though there's not a single event that I can point to a traumatic event. I've been researching and now I'm not sure that it really will work. I trust T and am willing to try it, but I wonder if it's really going to work if I don't have an event to focus on. Can EMDR help if the thing I need to focus on is really everything I was taught to believe about myself from childhood?

Hi OneWorld, and welcome to the forum. I'm glad you posted. I have no experience of EMDR, but I wanted to make sure that this post wouldn't slip over to the next page before people had a chance to see it.

[lrt1978]

Hi, Oneworld,

I tried EMDR with my T to see if it would work for me. For me it became clear that is wasn't so she suggested schema therapy which looks at your childhood and where your beliefs come from.

No harm in giving it a go and if it doesn't work then at least you know, if it does work then great.

It's something that you can discuss with your T maybe to find out more xx

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[pattijane]

Yes, it should work for you but it needs to be done properly! I hope your T is well-trained... you do need some event or memory to target but you can "get there" by starting with your negative belief about yourself (e.g. I'm powerless, or There's something wrong with me, I'm bad, or I'm not important, etc.), notice how that negative belief feels both in terms of what emotions come up and where you feel it in your body, and kind of "float back" to the earliest time you can remember having that belief and those feelings and body sensations. For most people some memory will pop up, doesn't need to be "traumatic" or "huge," just something that still feels disturbing when you call it to mind.

To understand more about EMDR therapy, one of the initial phases (Phase 2) 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 a lot of great coping strategies and self-soothing techniques which you can use during EMDR processing or anytime you feel the need. These resources are also useful for "freezing" which is a form of dissociation, and you and your T should discuss grounding techniques to use if/when you freeze.

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 or upsetting events. You NEVER need re-live an experience or go into great detail, 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 any method of bilateral stimulation that feels okay to you) 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.

Grounding exercises are essential. You 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 but all the proceeds from the book go to two charities: the EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Program and the EMDR Research Foundation). The book is 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 gives lots of really helpful ways that are used during EMDR therapy to calm disturbing thoughts and feelings.

I'm a psychologist who uses EMDR therapy as my primary psychotherapy treatment and I've also personally had EMDR therapy for anxiety, panic, grief, and “small t” trauma. As a client, EMDR 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 Association and trained by the EMDR Institute, both of which I strongly recommend in an EMDR therapist) I have used EMDR therapy successfully with panic disorders, PTSD, anxiety, depression, grief, body image, low self-esteem, phobias, distressing memories, bad dreams, and many other problems. It's a very gentle method with no significant "down-side" so that in the hands of a professional EMDR therapist, there should be no freak-outs or worsening of day-to-day functioning. EMDR therapy has a ton of excellent research behind it validating its efficacy.

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.

[OneWorld]

Thank you for your responses!

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[OneWorld]

Does the event/memory that I target have to be a specific hung that started my issues? Or can it just be an event that represents those issues?

T is well trained, I believe.

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[Leah123]

I am a bit wary of the comment that "in the hands of a professional EMDR therapist, there should be no freak-outs or worsening of day-to-day functioning."

I appreciate the treatment is quickly gaining in popularity and credibility, however, many negative reactions have been reported and it is not for everyone. There are several good discussions of EMDR on myptsd.com so I hope you will check those out for more from the client side. I've heard some success stories but also some difficult ones.

[OneWorld]

T warned me that it would likely make me feel worse at times but that I we push through it it will get better.

I also was wondering how long it usually takes?

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[ShaggyChic_1201]

Originally Posted by pattijane

Yes, it should work for you but it needs to be done properly! I hope your T is well-trained... you do need some event or memory to target but you can "get there" by starting with your negative belief about yourself (e.g. I'm powerless, or There's something wrong with me, I'm bad, or I'm not important, etc.), notice how that negative belief feels both in terms of what emotions come up and where you feel it in your body, and kind of "float back" to the earliest time you can remember having that belief and those feelings and body sensations. For most people some memory will pop up, doesn't need to be "traumatic" or "huge," just something that still feels disturbing when you call it to mind.

To understand more about EMDR therapy, one of the initial phases (Phase 2) 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 a lot of great coping strategies and self-soothing techniques which you can use during EMDR processing or anytime you feel the need. These resources are also useful for "freezing" which is a form of dissociation, and you and your T should discuss grounding techniques to use if/when you freeze.

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 or upsetting events. You NEVER need re-live an experience or go into great detail, 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 any method of bilateral stimulation that feels okay to you) 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.

Grounding exercises are essential. You 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 but all the proceeds from the book go to two charities: the EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Program and the EMDR Research Foundation). The book is 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 gives lots of really helpful ways that are used during EMDR therapy to calm disturbing thoughts and feelings.

I'm a psychologist who uses EMDR therapy as my primary psychotherapy treatment and I've also personally had EMDR therapy for anxiety, panic, grief, and “small t” trauma. As a client, EMDR 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 Association and trained by the EMDR Institute, both of which I strongly recommend in an EMDR therapist) I have used EMDR therapy successfully with panic disorders, PTSD, anxiety, depression, grief, body image, low self-esteem, phobias, distressing memories, bad dreams, and many other problems. It's a very gentle method with no significant "down-side" so that in the hands of a professional EMDR therapist, there should be no freak-outs or worsening of day-to-day functioning. EMDR therapy has a ton of excellent research behind it validating its efficacy.

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.

I cannot thank you enough for posting this! You could be my T and this is precisely what we are doing. I needed a lot of initial sessions before we could start EMDR in order to feel secure with my T.

Can you share what your experience is like working with people who used/use dissociation as a coping mechanism? In the 3 yrs I've been in therapy, I've learned that this was how I coped with numerous big T traumas. I only recently started EMDR and my T thinks I have several hidden protectors that keep memories for me. This helps explain many things and so I guess I'm starting to believe it is probably true. I was alarmed at last week's sessioin because my T said he interacted with someone and "I" was unaware of it. But this week I was more in touch with myself and gave the stop signal before panic took over.

My T indicates that my experience is relatively common (or at least, not uncommon) and EMDR could be very useful for becoming co-conscious. I would really appreciate more input and reassurance.

Thanks so much!
PS - do you allow PMs?