Is this EMDR or have I thrown money away?

[JamDoorNut]

I have been struggling with anxiety and claustrophobia for a while now. The NHS IAPT therapy was pretty useless however I have worked hard to manage my anxiety which I have pretty much managed to keep under control - without medication. But my claustrophobia is proving to be difficult to shift- I struggle to get into lifts, trains that are inside tunnels and flights. This is becoming a issue now and I thought of trying hypnotherapy.
i got in touch with a therapist who is certified and is registered and booked 4 sessions. She has sessions that start as a group if 4, then 8 and also an option for 16 I believe.

the fist session was to understand the issues etc, she made a lot of notes. The second session pretty much talking about the various issues that might have lead to my phobia and we practiced breathing exercise.

Third session she did an exercise whereby she asked me to get in touch with my trauma self and talk to it. We did this and when I said there was resistance from my trauma self to ‘let go’ she didn’t really offer any alternatives- the session ended there.

when I got home I tried it again myself over the Christmas break to talk to my trauma self and address certain fears etc. I now feel I’m not need to run away from this ‘fear’ more if that I can explore what is causing me the anxiety- if that makes sense!!

the fourth and last session was yesterday and we went right back to note taking and finding about how I feel- more like talking therapy.

from everything I have read on Google this is not EMDR - she said in passing that if you are happy I can make you practice hypnotherapy in another session.

she then asked what my views are in the future sessions- which in other words another block booking in £518. I didn’t want to commit to ongoing therapy with her- this was meant to be 4 sessions and see how I progress. Given that no EMDR was offered I don’t think I want to book sessions with her again.

my question I suppose is that am I correct in thinking there was very little EMDR therapy involved in here?

@Tallulah28 i didn’t quite think of it that way- as in what happens if it’s a ‘half baked’ attempt as EMDR. Yes she seemed very reluctant to give a treatment plan, even a broad one. I understand theses things might take time based in the individual.

I was very hopeful in that I was taking another positive step forward, upset that some therapists do take advantage of the scenario. Not surprised as people do take advantage of weaknesses but upset that I had to take another step back. Will keep working-

Hi OP

It certainly sounds like the therapist was not clear about their role/plans for sessions but it also sounds like there was some ambiguity in what you sought from them initially.

I'd be equally sceptical of a therapist who promises that your issues will be resolved in exactly X number of sessions but they should be able to provide a clear treatment plan after consultation with You.

Perhaps rather than seeing this as having "thrown money away", consider whether there has been some value in this intervention making it more clear what you want to focus on/gain from therapy.

If you can afford to find and fund another EMDR practitioner, then at least you are now able to lay out your stall - from what you have shared you are able to clearly define what you need help with and what your treatment goal is.

Great advice from @girlfrombackthen I’m an EMDR practitioner and what you describe doesn’t sound familiar to me as an EMDR practice. I do spend time finding out background and history for someone, and using resourcing exercises, and that can mean we don’t immediately go into the bilateral stimulation work in early sessions, but I explain each stage and why I’m doing it.