Posted by Toby on August 6, 1998, at 15:46:14
In reply to Re: EMDR, posted by Anita on July 21, 1998, at 16:05:23
EMDR is truly amazing. It is being tried on everything, but I kind of doubt that everyone would benefit in every case. Some of the things it doesn't help are Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Delusions, Hallucinations, recent cocaine addictions and Depression (can be used in folks with depression and are getting treated with medication). It also doesn't work if you don't want it to, like in people who have to stay sick in order to keep their disability or who want to stay sick in order to keep control of people in their lives. I have found that it works even if you don't BELIEVE it will, but not in the cases where you don't WANT it to. I mostly use it on people that have specific traumas in their past like rape, molestation, murder, physical attacks, and car accidents, but have used it with panic disorder, grief, alcohol abuse (in people who are currently abstinent but have a history of frequent relapses) and phobias like spiders, heights, water, certain medical procedures like dentists or getting blood drawn. For those folks, it reduces their distress 99% of the time (actually, I've never had anyone who didn't have at least some positive response) and the degree to which the distress is eased has ranged from 50% to 100%. Of course that translates into huge differences in the way the person functions in real life and is a much faster way of treating these problems than traditional medications or talk therapy (most folks get lots better in the very first 2 hour session and only need 1-4 sessions total). There is an EMDR web site that lists clinicians who are trained in EMDR in every state. I would not go to someone who is not on that list. There are many bastardized versions of EMDR that are not helpful, can really hurt you and are a huge waste of time and your money.
poster:Toby
thread:55
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19980901/msgs/253.html