EMDR

Has anyone used EMDR to help with abuse issues? I would like anyones input as to success or failure with this type of therapy.

I tried EMDR and found it pretty well useless, although that may have been a function of the crappy therapist instead of the technique. :-) I know people who have had great success with it.

Candy

it seems i've also heard mixed reviews...equally mixed. it made me afraid to consider it. in fact, t's never offered it.

that's about all i know...sorry. from what i've heard, i found it risky.

kd

I've been through a course of EMDR, with an okay therapist. I went into the experience willing for it to be a success.

Eh. It was useless. I don't think the science is there, the fancy explanations for it I don't think are legit. I do think pieces of it might help, it is after all time to focus on our experience, we do get a guide, and we get cues to help train us in how to calm down.

http://skepdic.com/emdr.html

Some more info.

Sarah

I don't seem to sound stupid, but what is EMDR?

EMDR stand for Eye movement desensitazation and reprocessing. From what i understand it uses eye movement to reprocess abuse issues. Through short timeframes repeated throughout the session using visual images of the trauma then proceeding to positive images the abuse is processed. Obviously I don't know very much about it other than that. It is a controversial method of therapy as to its effectiveness.

I was offered this by my counsellor. I went into it very sceptically but found it almost frightening in its effectiveness. It has helped me to deal with one unpleasant memory (though this memory was not really abuse) and I want to use it on some other, more distant and more trobuling, memories. It brought up lots and lots of issues for me - helped me to make links between this episode and others in my past, and in so doing I understood why the later episode affected me so deeply. It has also "released" lots of memories for me.

I suspect a lot of its effectiveness depends on the people involved - both therapist and subject - and on their relationship. I have found I am very susceptible to suggestion and to hypnosis in the past and this too may be relevant. However, for me it has been a very very useful tool and one I hope to use again.

Hope this helps

Caroline

a therapist once asked me to try this. she took a crystal object and put it on a piece of clear fishing wire and tied it hanging from the window curtain rod. I admit it was interesting watching the colors from the sun going through the crystal onto the wall. Quite hynotic and relaxing which is what she told me it was supposed to do. She said EMDR is supposed to work by relaxing the cleint enough so that they are not afraid to remember and talk about what happened to them. By bringing the situation back into the present and giving the client new coping tools the situation no longer bothers, upsets and triggers them. Basically this does the same thing that self hypnosis/hypnosis does and it does work but the client has to have complete trust in their therapist so that they are willing to be open to looking at what happened. As for how it worked on me - It was relaxing but that was as far as I was willing to take it at the time.

We talked about EMDR in class and were told that there really is no proof that the treatment itslef works. I have heard mixed reviews doing my own research. It is theorized that it may just be a placebo effect that patients have with it, Those who have success