[suzzie]

i dont understand emdr. or oei. except that theyre similar.
but was wondering something.
when you do emdr. does it pull past feelings to the front.
and then if you dont do it right. keep glancing. and looking away. through it.
and finally have to stop. before youre done.
could it keep the feelings stuck up front.
just wondering.
because. since my last session. im having alot of trouble staying grounded.
its not usually this bad.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by suzzie

i dont understand emdr. or oei. except that theyre similar.
but was wondering something.
when you do emdr. does it pull past feelings to the front.
and then if you dont do it right. keep glancing. and looking away. through it.
and finally have to stop. before youre done.
could it keep the feelings stuck up front.
just wondering.
because. since my last session. im having alot of trouble staying grounded.
its not usually this bad.

All therapy techniques have one thing in common....

everyone reacts differently depending upon their own triggers, reactions, medications, problems, reasons for doing each type of treatment option.

to find out if this is the way in which you should or shouldnt be reacting you will need to contact your treatment providers. they will tell you what the expected outcome of this therapy with you is and whether something has gone the wrong direction for you and how to best proceed from where you are at in this process.

[Sannah]

Yeah, this would be a good question for your T.

[suzzie]

sorry i keep asking inappropriate questions.
i dont need to know.

[Sannah]

It isn't an inappropriate question Suzzie. I guess you don't want to ask your T?

[suzzie]

no. she might not like it.

[Sannah]

Why wouldn't she like this question? Or any question?

[suzzie]

because she expects it to work.
i dont want to keep frustrating her.

[Sannah]

Talking about why something isn't working is a good thing. It is called troubleshooting. It is a good thing.

[geez]

Originally Posted by suzzie

i dont understand emdr. or oei. except that theyre similar.
but was wondering something.
when you do emdr. does it pull past feelings to the front.
and then if you dont do it right. keep glancing. and looking away. through it.
and finally have to stop. before youre done.
could it keep the feelings stuck up front.
just wondering.
because. since my last session. im having alot of trouble staying grounded.
its not usually this bad.

I haven't been able to get on line a lot lately with school work etc... but wanted to check in today and I'm glad I saw your post.

For me EMDR pulls things up to the front. Not in an intellectual way but the actual feelings come to the surface. It's both freeing and yet exhausting at the same time. It's hard because when I can feel the feelings coming up during EMDR I fight really hard to ignore them and hope they go away. But they don't! I don't do EMDR every session as it becomes exhausting and we discuss things in between sessions. And when I'm not in session I'm dreaming about my T and therapy

One thing did happen last week for where were I had a deeper sense of awareness about my emotions when they were happening vs. just being in an overwhelming reaction mode.

Hope this helps you and I hope you are able to make some progress with EMDR. Nothing is easy when it comes to therapy!

PS - There are some EMDR sessions like my last one where I was completely 'closed off' from myself.

((( suzzie ))) ... I wasn't a good candidate for EMDR so I doubt OEI would work on me either ... Nor will hypnotherapy ... It's too difficult for me to let go and let it work ... Not really my fault, but until I can do that, trying to make me do it simply isn't going to work ...

I explained to one therapist that when I feel like someone is doing something TO me instead of WITH me, it's just not gonna happen ... The reason why is because my abusers did so much TO me that I'm very resistant to ever allowing anyone to ever do anything TO me ever again ...

Perhaps if you explained it to your therapist like that they'd be more empathetic and understanding about where you're coming from ... They might not be able to continue to work with you if they can't utilize this particular method and aren't willing to do what works best or most comfortably for you (for instance, simple talk therapy works best for me), but that's no reason why they shouldn't be able to recommend you to someone else who can or will ...

,
Pfrog!

[suzzie]

thank you geez its that way for me too. intense, strong feelings. but they quickly become too much. and i have to look away. for relief. are you able to keep doing it. until she is done. i could see it being helpful that way. but i keep breaking it off. and i cant follow her right. especially anywhere near her face. i think that disrupts it.

pfrog you are right. im not a good candidate really. i cant look at her. but she really thinks it will help me. i probably should explain to her its too much. but im too afraid to talk at all.

((( suzzie ))) ... It should move at your pace ... Including waiting until you are ready to talk ... This is hard work, therapists know this and should not pressure you to go faster than you're ready to lest it retraumatize you ...

,
Pfrog!

[geez]

Originally Posted by suzzie

thank you geez its that way for me too. intense, strong feelings. but they quickly become too much. and i have to look away. for relief. are you able to keep doing it. until she is done. i could see it being helpful that way. but i keep breaking it off. and i cant follow her right. especially anywhere near her face. i think that disrupts it.

pfrog you are right. im not a good candidate really. i cant look at her. but she really thinks it will help me. i probably should explain to her its too much. but im too afraid to talk at all.

(((Suzzie))) Every therapist does there own version of EMDR. Some use the buzzers only. Some use tapping on the back of your hand (T1 does this where T2 only did the buzzers). T1 says there is no right or wrong way for clients to do EMDR. You have to do what feels most comfortable for you to help you focus. I close my eyes when I do it except for the part when I have to follow her finger movement. For me EMDR works the best with my eyes closed and her tapping the back of my hands.

However EMDR does feel like a workout! - a mental one! The last time I did EMDR we kept doing the tapping and 'digging' as I call it. I felt exhausted afterwords. It was like I was doing sets of sit ups in my mind... is it over yet!

On the subject of talking I'm either constantly trying to sensor myself or shut myself off from my emotions that are coming up. My T told me to not fight it and broke down. It was really hard to 'let it go'/'let it out' but I did it!

I hope you find yourself feeling better soon!

PS - I second what frog said and in addition to EMDR I also do a mix of talk therapy.

[suzzie]

now that you mention tapping on hands. i think she was going to try that last time. because she asked if i liked to be touched. then said i could sit. and sat in front of me. it spooked me. and she just asked alot of questions. i think closing the eyes and tapping might work. but following the finger. i cant. it spooks me. too bad there wasnt something on a screen/computer. that i could follow the pattern. i could do that.

geez youre doing great!

pfrog

[Little Me]

Originally Posted by geez

(((Suzzie))) Every therapist does there own version of EMDR. Some use the buzzers only. Some use tapping on the back of your hand (T1 does this where T2 only did the buzzers). T1 says there is no right or wrong way for clients to do EMDR. You have to do what feels most comfortable for you to help you focus. I close my eyes when I do it except for the part when I have to follow her finger movement. For me EMDR works the best with my eyes closed and her tapping the back of my hands.

However EMDR does feel like a workout! - a mental one! The last time I did EMDR we kept doing the tapping and 'digging' as I call it. I felt exhausted afterwords. It was like I was doing sets of sit ups in my mind... is it over yet!

On the subject of talking I'm either constantly trying to sensor myself or shut myself off from my emotions that are coming up. My T told me to not fight it and broke down. It was really hard to 'let it go'/'let it out' but I did it!

I hope you find yourself feeling better soon!

PS - I second what frog said and in addition to EMDR I also do a mix of talk therapy.

I've recently started EMDR but we are taking a break. Safety issues for me right now. So, we talk. It makes me feel bad because I'm not even good enough to do EMDR. If you are not doing ok then it seems like it is when it would help. She likes to tap on the back of the hand best but we have tried the buzzers and following the finger. I'm not sure what I like better, no preference I guess. I close my eyes too, so very self conscious. Not sure what to think and hope for. I've read and listened to how effective it's supposed to be.