Experiences of EMDR for childhood trauma?

[Parsleyforme]

Just wondering if anyone has had EMDR for several traumas, or a generally traumatic childhood?
I read about it in a book and the example given was a woman who’d had a lot of trauma over her childhood. But from reading threads on here it seems like it’s more for one or two significant events? So just hoping to hear some experiences 🙂

I had it a couple of years ago. My traumas I was refered for were adulthood (two traumatic incidents ten years apart, and ten years before treatment). However very early on it was decided my reaction to the adult trauma was probably worsened by childhood trauma (physical and emotional abuse throughout).
I was warned it wasn't a cure and it is harder to treat multiple traumatic events. I had a year of emdr. It was really useful, I feel it has left me a little numb to my emotions at times but I am more able to cope when I'm in situations similar to my adult traumas (which has to continue because its my health and healthcare settings that caused it). Dealing with childhood trauma first helped me see why I reacted as I did in adult life. The weird thing is I had to imagine my childhood self, sitting in a room I frequented as an adult and now if I'm stressed this image comes back to me. As a child I never set foot in this room (it wasn't even built then). I think the first time I set foot in this room I was 23 but in my mind I'm 8. But it somehow feels comforting.
If you decide to do it you have to go with it, I was a little skeptical of tapping and grounding myself but it worked. I also felt it wasn't working at first but my therapist later said with multiple traumas it takes longer to see a difference. I started in the April and by beginning of September I was seeing noticeable changes (that others could notice too).

Thank you for sharing your experience. It’s really helpful to hear because I’d read of people having 4 or 8 sessions and being essentially cured - which it sounds like is quite rare or unrealistic! Did you have to speak out loud much or did you spend most of your time visualising?

A bit of both, sometimes I spoke lots, other times hardly any. It depended on how I felt, what I was processing and if I could verbalise it. Sometimes I went home wrote it down and spoke about the week after. There was no pressure either way.

I had around 8 sessions for childhood trauma with more time spent on one specific trauma but also encompassing the larger more general trauma of growing up in an abusive home. It worked brilliantly, my panic attacks and anxiety were totally cured and I have felt well and able to cope in situations that would previously have triggered me.

I’ve had four sessions so far.

Not going to lie, it feels bonkers really. No idea if it works. Time will tell.

I had 3 x 3hr sessions. It was exhausting and awkward but helped my symptoms by about 80%. Nothing else has worked so well for me.

I went for it and I’ve also had several sessions. It does feel bonkers 😂 she gets me to do tapping and blinking sometimes as well as watching a dot. I find it a bit awkward and sometimes it doesn’t feel like much is happening. But in most sessions I feel like the memories become much shorter and less emotional. It seems like my problems are a bit of a tangled web so I think I’ll be at it for a while. Good luck and I will be interested to hear how you’re doing as time goes on

It is bonkers, but it does work.
With the caveat that minds are not like broken bones, so the treatment for similar symptoms isn't always the same.

Name changed for this I had EMDR for a 4/ 5 year period of step father abuse aged 9-14. The memories sort of faded - still there but I can choose to access them or not and I’m no longer in permanent fight or flight mode. It took me ten 1 hour sessions.

I did tapping therapy and it really moved how I felt about things.

I had emdr after an assault and found it incredibly helpful. I wasn’t able to talk/think about the assault without getting upset and couldn’t move forward with my life but after treatment I was able to discuss the incident quite matter of factly which allowed me to process what happened and regain some control.

Thanks for starting this thread. I've name changed for this.

I've just started EMDR, literally had my first proper session last week. For me, it's for C-PTSD symptoms which have thrown me back to feeling like I'm in one of the worst years of my life, in my late teens.

Everything flared up after I saw an ex-boyfriend who I was dating at the time. It's complicated but I now realise he had/has high narcissistic traits. He's actually textbook when you understand it, which I didn't until recently.

When I saw him it was as if my body was saying 'you haven't processed this' and crashed. And here I am, high anxiety, can't eat, can't concentrate, so much feels like a threat.

The EMDR session last week felt very strange, almost forced from my end, and I felt quite emotionally broken as I was doing it. We didn't even touch on him to be honest, just a lot of the trauma that happened prior (I've got a high ACE score) but maybe I need to start the session with him at the moment I saw him.

My therapist said it'll probably take 3 months to go through the full process.

At the moment I'm unsure if I should have had talk therapy instead but I guess I'll know in a few months.

It was suggested to me in a recent NHS appointment - but how does one go about accessing it?

would I ever be able to get it on tbe nhs? I’ve been treated before with CAT therapy via nhs. It worked a bit but more recent thinks have re triggered issues.