Posted by Sabina on February 5, 2004, at 0:06:28
In reply to Re: EMDR tomorrow, first time for me, posted by Sabina on February 3, 2004, at 14:53:05
the concept is intriguing, beguiling...to think that my brain can overwrite a traumatic experience from my past like i defrag my computer. that's how i had read about it somewhere. well, i was expecting nothing much at all in the way of catharsis, but was pleasantly surprised. one of the best things going into it was the fact that i already have such a great rapport with my therapist and was in a familiar environment with her. i tend to over think ev-er-y-thing, so being comfortable was paramount.
i had more of an emotional response to the event from the outset than i expected. i kept my eyes shut and they went all "wiggly" for awhile when she first started tapping on my hands, which was kind of disconcerting. my therapist said later that my breathing patterns changed quite a bit during the course of the treatment. i also experienced a tightness in my chest from the memory. otherwise, i wasn't physically uncomfortable.
i first reported my discomfort level at the event at a seven out of ten and, by the end of the session, got it down to a one. as the session progressed, the touch of the people who had hurt me seemed more and more diffused when i thought of it. by the end, i told her the event now seemed kind of like lima beans to me: i don't like them, but they don't upset me.
then she "installed" the new, positive statement about myself to overwrite the damage that had been done to me. i had some trouble with that, as my "new belief" sentence was too general and needed to be more specific to the situation. once that was sorted out, things moved along quickly. it's strange, because i could actually feel *something* happening, but i couldn't tell you what it was; and more so in the beginning with taking away the power of the event than anything else.
anyway, that's my report for anyone who may care to know. i have had a couple of minor brain glitches since coming home, out-of-body moments, etc., but nothing scary. that's not entirely unheard of for me during the "normal" course of things, so i'm not worried about it. i have been pleased with the results enough to try it again and would recommend it to anyone with difficult or unresolved blocks or traumas.
poster:Sabina
thread:307529
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040131/msgs/309607.html