Has anyone successfully undergone EMDR for trauma? My T has recommended a couple of EMDR Ts for my H who has PTSD and I'm curious about other people's experiences.
Thanks

[MoxieDoxie]

Yes I have and still do EMDR but I have complex Trauma not just an single event. It helped immensely with nightmares, trauma events loopong around over in my head and took the charge out of the memories. However, it did not fix everything but it is a great tool to bring about reduction in suffering and symptoms.

Thanks. I was skeptical because there seems to be no concrete information about how it actually works, but my T seems confident it can help. He said it seems to do something neurological and in time he thinks researchers will discover exactly what it does.

[pattijane]

Originally Posted by Echos Myron

Has anyone successfully undergone EMDR for trauma? My T has recommended a couple of EMDR Ts for my H who has PTSD and I'm curious about other people's experiences.
Thanks

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. 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, 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.

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 a lot of great coping strategies and self-soothing techniques which you can use during EMDR processing or anytime you feel the need.

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 and/or panic/anxiety. 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 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 stimulation should not be kept on continuously, because there are specific procedures that need to be followed to process the memory). 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 usedduring EMDR therapy to calm disturbing thoughts and feelings.

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, or, imagine the abuser speaking in a Donald Duck voice... 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.

You might want to take a look at a description of EMDR therapy: http://www.emdrnetwo...escription.html

[Partless]

Originally Posted by Echos Myron

I was skeptical because there seems to be no concrete information about how it actually works, but my T seems confident it can help. He said it seems to do something neurological and in time he thinks researchers will discover exactly what it does.

It's not that it doesn't work, because it works in most instances, so your T is right to be confident that it can help, at least to some extent. And you're also right that there's no concrete info on how it actually works. Some of the explanations sound like, well, BS. There are some scientists that claim, using evidence, that EMDR is really nothing more than good old exposure therapy, and that it is the exposure component that's responsible for improvements, not the rest. It would be kind of like if your CBT therapist also decided to dance for you and call it Dancing CBT. If improvements happen, it's most likely due to CBT, not the dance.

I'm being humorous (or attempting to) but the point is but I think it's worth a try if this is not too expensive, even if the method remains controversial in some ways.

Thanks for your replies and additional info. H seems up for it which is good news, and at this stage anything that has a chance of helping is worth trying. The image of Dancing CBT made me laugh Partless