emdr

[guessagain]

Has anyone ever heard about or tried EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing)?  It's been recomended for me and it's supposed to be a relatively new treatment for traumatic stress, things that a person just can't let go. There's only one person who does it in my area that services a population of about 80,000. I've been to two meetings and accually start in a week. I've been told it can be very difficult emotionally and it helps reach things stored deep in the mind that are just stored differently.

[kenneltech]

EMDR is not a relatively new treatment, it has been around for a long time, but it was just used for veterans, and not for the public.  They just recently started teaching therapists and psychiatrists about using it for the general public, because it never dawned of anyone that the general public had so many people walking around with severe PTSD.  If you remember, abuse wasn't even talked about a few years back, and it was "kept in the family."

I started EMDR recently, and, although at first it's pretty hard, it is starting to work wonders.  The hard part is that it brings up everything horrible in your life that you've tried to stuff so you don't remember it, but when it does come up, it erases the feelings from it.

It took months before I was ready for this treatment, because you have to be pretty emotionally stable (the doctor should work with you and get you ready) before starting this treatment.

The thing about this treatment is, it's 85% effective!  And, even though it's hard, I jumped at the chance, better to go through a few months of hell than the rest of your lifetime!!

Good luck!

[tcom]

emdr can be very successful for some people. It is a different type of therapy that usually involves some level of hypnosis, but don't let this scare you. One of the procedural elements is "dual stimulation" using either bilateral eye movements, tones or taps. During the reprocessing phases the client attends momentarily to past memories, present triggers, or anticipated future experiences while simultaneously focusing on a set of external stimulus. During that time, clients generally experience the emergence of insight, changes in memories, or new associations. The clinician assists the client to focus on appropriate material before initiation of each subsequent set. Esentially, it helps you to re-process your traumatic experience and attempt to view it in a way that is more healthy and hopefully indicative of less stress associated with the trauma.

It is important to go into it with a positive attitude, especially if you find yourself skeptical. There are not a lot of professionals trained to do this but it sounds like you found someone who has some experience, feel safe to ask about experieince. I am not sure if there are really any negatives but I believe it could be possible for an untrained professional to produce False Memeroy Syndrome. If the person you are seeing is trained well they can explain this sydrome to you, but again don't let it scare you. The outcomes of this treatment have been very suuccessful. There is a False Memory Syndrome online at: http://www.fmsfonline.org/ but if I had to guess, I don't believe it is common. Perhaps your knowledge about it will help your experience.

Be careful, if your anything like me, I like to read online for answers to questions like this and it seems there's always something that scares me. Everyone, I suppose, has a bad story to tell about any experience. I wish you luck.

[Lexxie1018]

Hi there and nice to meet you.  I have not posted a great deal in this forum; however, I really need to.  I also was referred to this type of EMDR therapy.  I am sorry to report that I have not yet gone.  (for insurance reasons and having to move reasons).  From what the psychiatrist told me about this therapy was it for people who had faced MAJOR trauma, and that he had sent some patients there that had been through the 9/11 trauma.  He stated that the patients were non functioning, but soon (and very soon...i mean within a few weeks) that they had vastly improved.  
I know i have not yet shared my story here, but that was mainly because i had to go through a trial first.  I will eventually make a post about it.  BUT i do want to say, that i was nearly murdered nearly a year and a half ago.  The PTSD has NOT gone away yet.  WHEN i get the insurance and such sorted out, then i am indeed going to try the EMDR therapy.  
I **DO** know you must have a therapist that has been through the adequate training, from what I understand that this is VERY important.  BE SURE to check the credentials of the EMDR therapist you are referred to.  I am very sorry I can not be of more assistance at this point.  WHEN recieve the therapy, then I will make a post about it.  IF you go before I do....then please let me know.  BUT as i stated before, the psychiatrist i spoke with had a great things to say about it and the results he had witnessed from it.
I wish you luck my friend.
Peace,
Lexxie

[margypops]

Someome put this up on the PTSD forum a while ago,but I dont know anyone who has had it.