Posted by antigua on December 25, 2003, at 23:19:59
In reply to Re: EMDR - I may be trying it, posted by Dinah on December 25, 2003, at 13:10:25
Dinah,
I think you've described well what I've experienced in EMDR: attaching feeling to sterile memories of traumatic events. I was (and still am) very skeptical about how it works, but it has seemed to unblock SOME feelings; others I still can't get close to (I've had 8 sessions so far). I see my EMDR therapist and the next day I see my regular therapist to try and process these feelings. My EMDR therapist closes every session by walking me through putting away the scary/harmful/devastating feelings until I am in my safe environment w/my therapist. This has worked well for me and has lessened the panic of the intensity of some of these emotions.While I haven't had any huge breakthroughs and don't think I've reached the heart of my trauma yet (isn't that what we all want?), I have felt some really sad/tough/unpleasant feelings that I have never faced before (like remembering overhearing my parents arguing about how they didn't want me) and that have influenced me profoundly my whole life. That said, please just be aware that it can be very painful and try to have a good support system while you're doing this. It's exhausting for me.
antigua
poster:antigua
thread:291016
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20031221/msgs/293439.html