[lilypup]

I am a mess. My bipolar is under control but I am having terrible anxiety.

My main and immediate problem deals with food. I just can't gain any more weight due to the likelihood of diabetes. My therapist has been using CBT to work on this.

During some letter writing to my inner child, I came up with quite a bit of trauma relating to my food situation. My tdoc thinks EMDR will help much more than the CBT.

I know nothing about EMDR. I know I can research it, but thought I'd get some opinions. Anyone use it?

[LostOnTheTrail]

You might want to cross-post to the Post-Traumatic Stress forum as well. I don't know whether cross-posting is allowed here, but there are a few who use EMDR.

I'm not one of those people, so I can't help more...but I wish you luck in finding out what you need.

[lilypup]

Thanks for the advice. I did find some good info in the PTSD forum.

Anyone else use EMDR?

[nottrustin]

I have never actually had it but been seriously considering. My T knew little about it but recently went to a seminar and many therapists said it was the preferred treatment for anxiety and Ptsd..so just waiting for my referral to go through

[Argonautomobile]

It sucks. For me. Other people have found it useful. I hope you get some relief.

[zoiecat]

I've been doing EMDR for about four months now. I have multiple traumas stomach from infancy on the more trauma you have the longer it will take but I've heard great things from people who have been able to completely process their memories. It will bring up a lot of stuff from your past but at least it brings it up and you're able to work on it. Right now EMDR is this logo for me because I dissociate so much. definitely worth a try though good luck.

[Out There]

I do very well with EMDR , I found it very effective.

[laxer12]

I've been doing EMDR for maybe the equivalent of 5 months now and I like doing it. The first time I did it was last summer but then that T moved so I found another T. She wasn't certified when I first started working with her and we don't do it every week so I'd say it would be about 5 months worth of sessions.

For me, it's not always easy to talk about stuff and I have a really hard time accessing the emotions from some childhood trauma and EMDR seems to help me uncover that more. Once you get in a groove with your T, things start to flow really well but occasionally I'll hit a roadblock somewhere. It seems to help me but I've still got a ways to go so I can't say if it's going to help me completely "heal".

I find that it's a different and sometimes more efficient way to process things. I feel like I can go way deeper into things when we do EMDR than just talking so I at least feel like I'm making progress.

With that being said, it isn't for everyone. But it doesn't hurt to give it a shot! But I would suggest giving it at least two or three sessions so that you and your T have a chance to get in a groove.

[lilypup]

Thanks laxer and everyone. You're giving me some courage here.

[jeremiahgirl]

I did EMDR when other therapy did little for me I was struggling with depression and suicide on almost a weekly based (BPD). I found it worked for me. I'm very pleased with the outcome . I hope the best for you.

[MBM17]

EMDR was helpful for me with a few past traumas.

However, we had to stop EMDR on one of them. I had gone into a bipolar episode and everything was falling apart and EMDR wasn't helping. I couldn't turn off the SUPER intense emotions that EMDR brings up.

My therapist said later that EMDR is less effective with bipolar because EMDR can trigger with bipolar differently than otherwise, triggering episodes or swings that otherwise might not have happened.

I bet we'll try it again sometime, but I'm feeling traumatized from EMDR! And like I said, it worked for a few things before the last time.