I'm sorry, this is long but I hope I've made it readable. Pease help me if you can.
DS1 (11) is being treated with EMDR for his experience of violent bullying at school.
His first session was today, and whilst I've done some reading on the subject of EMDR, I don't know whether what I witnessed was a competent application. The practitioner, who I did not get to choose, only had her training last week and I suspect DS1 was her first post-qualification patient.
She showed him what it was like to try to follow her fingers moving side to side, and also gave him the opportunity to use a pair of bongo drums to drum with his own hands. She let him choose which he preferred and he went for the drums because the finger following made him dizzy (not surprising as he is still suffering from a head injury he got about 7 weeks ago which gave him a concussion and she knows all about).
Does anyone know whether there is an element of suggestion in the technique of EMDR? The reason I ask is that DS1 was initially asked to rate himself on a scale of 0-10 (not at all upset - extremely upset) when thinking about his 'event'. He rated himself at 7.
After the first group of two or three 30 second treatment periods with the drums he was asked again and this time rated himself at 5. The practitioner then told him that this was good and that really she wanted the number to be 2 or less as then "the bad memory tends to stay put away".
She then went on to do a few more periods of thought and movement, not with the drums but finger following as he was struggling to drum with the tremor he experiences as a part of the concussion after effects. (He is being treated by a physiotherapist for this tremor on the recommendation of a child neurologist.) The EMDR practitioner then asked for a final rating.
A bit of extra information. Each time DS1 was asked where he was now he mostly came up with a good memory, family time, picnics, fishing and sailing which he loves, other occasions he has thoroughly enjoyed. Only a couple of times did he refer to the 'event'.
His final vote of the session was a 3.
It seemed to me that the practitioners comments about a score of 2 was leading him to give her a number that would be 'right' and please her. He didn't seem to be thinking about the event most of the time at all. She has given neither of us any indication of what is considered successful treatment. As far as I know, when he says 2 he gets discharged.
Please, does anyone have any experience or knowledge in this area? I'm out of my depth but I do believe that EMDR can be a very effective treatment for trauma and anxiety. Is DS1 getting good EMDR? It doesn't seem so to me.