Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)

[christinarossetti]

I've been reading a lot about this for the treatment of trauma. I'm currently seeing a psychotherapist, but given that so much of my 'stuff' is trauma based, I wonder if EMDR would be useful for me.

Does anyone have any experience of this type of therapy at all?

TIA

Yes and it was brilliant - just make sure you get a proper practitioner - and expect a headache afterwards

PM me if you want to know more

Amazingly it works! I had PTSD and I my mental health nurse used it as part of my therapy. It removed the 'colour' and emotion from the memories, and allowed me to talk about what happen with detachment. Certainly worth a try.

Hi,
I've also had EMDR to help get over a medical phobia (needed to address before trying to get pregnant - thoughts of Caesarian made me feel ill). Turns out my trauma was a learned fear of childbirth from my mother - as her own mother lost 3 babies and nearly died with one of them. My mother had a horrendous birth experience with her first - 40 years later she still says she would want to burn the hospital to the ground - something she would never say about anything else so had definitely scarred her for life.

The treatment worked really well for me. Was able to graduate to natal hypnotherapy that i did on my own with CDs and had really calm birth- despite lots of physical issues. Will be going back for a few more sessions soon as am due to have Caesarian in June (!) but as I know it works I know I will get through it.

My therapist used a tapping on alternate hands method rather than the eyes - seemed to have the same effect.

Good luck.

Hi there I also have experience of it for PTSD
sadly for me it didn't work as I wasn't ready for it.
for some reason each time we did it it just retraumatised me.
I was very hopeful as it has got very good results but I think with all these things it is horses for courses and it wont work for everyone.

I continued with the same therapist with standard psychotherapy and after 3 years I don't see her anymore and am in a much better place.

Good luck to you. there is an end to the hurt. I promise

A friend of mine has been for that and she says it really helped her.

Thanks everyone for taking the trouble to reply - that's really useful.

Do people mind me asking, did you/people you know who had it have complex or multiple trauma and other grief based issues/mental health problems or is it more useful for a single traumatic event?

Obviously don't reply if this is an upsetting question. I've never met anyone who had it irl, and have lots of questions.

Or could someone point me in the direction of a forum or something where it would be appropriate to ask probing questions?

Thanks so much.

Hi I've had it/am having it too. Life changing for me. In my case preverbal and ongoing trauma and PTSD, so not one off event.

Its been assessed by NICE and the US version as highly effective for PTSD/trauma, - the EMDR Association has a list of therapists you can search by key word www.emdrassociation.org.uk and click through to their website.

I had it for multiple trauma.. I had social anxiety and panic attacks as a result. That's mostly in the past now, there's a lot of things I no longer avoid and more importantly, am better able to talk about.
I had some grief based trauma, violence, parental stuff but I'm not as half baked as that makes me sound.. I don't like the way that sounds.

Someone walked in.. So to finish that more clearly, I had it for some grief related trauma. That was exacerbated by being in a position where I suddenly was responsible for a teenager, his abusive father who threatened us badly and was ultimately arrested.. trial which was also traumatizing as I was a witness. A lot happened and I carried on. A few years later my mother died suddenly, I buried myself in work and a year later I broke down.
I had some time to recover, therapy, and when I got stronger did EMDR as part of my road to recovery. It was a great thing. I am so much easier, calmer, not as scared, not as blocked. It has been great but very hard. I found the sessions exhausting, I slept loads!
So, I can recommend it. It is a relief. I can face things that I avoided before.

Can I ask what it is? Thanks