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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by gardenergirl on January 30, 2004, at 21:19:37
Dinah,
I hope you are doing well. I was wondering what you decided about whether to continue with EMDR. Maybe I missed someting in a post, as I have not had as much time this week online. Or maybe you don't feel like talking about it, which is fine.Just thinking of you and hoping things work out well,
gg
Posted by Dinah on January 31, 2004, at 9:40:04
In reply to Dinah, EMDR?, posted by gardenergirl on January 30, 2004, at 21:19:37
I'm going once more, put off cancelling so now it's too late as it's Monday morning. I guess I want to feel like I gave it a shot. If I feel absolutely nothing again though, I'm calling it quits. I can't see spending tons of money I don't have on something that I'm not sure will ever have an effect.
My therapist suggested that I give up too early. I think maybe I hang on too long. I should have given up on biofeedback guy after session one where he called my therapist (without meeting him) a narcissist.
Posted by gardenergirl on January 31, 2004, at 20:41:48
In reply to Re: Dinah, EMDR? » gardenergirl, posted by Dinah on January 31, 2004, at 9:40:04
Dinah,
I'll be thinking of you and your courage on Monday morning. I hope it goes well or at least is not painful!gg
Posted by Dinah on February 2, 2004, at 13:05:48
In reply to Dinah, EMDR?, posted by gardenergirl on January 30, 2004, at 21:19:37
We gave up all pretense midway through. I asked her if I could just think without telling her about what. And my eyes followed the wagging finger as my brain roamed free. It reminded me of thinking in the tub with the water running over my hand as I moved it slowly from side to side.
But the tub is free. So I told her I wouldn't be coming in any more and we parted on good terms.
Posted by gardenergirl on February 2, 2004, at 13:10:53
In reply to Re: EMDR went better, posted by Dinah on February 2, 2004, at 13:05:48
It sounds like you gave it a fair chance. I'm sorry it didn't work for you, but I'm proud of you for giving it a shot!
Now it's just you and (Burt?)
gg
Posted by fallsfall on February 2, 2004, at 14:09:06
In reply to Re: EMDR went better, posted by Dinah on February 2, 2004, at 13:05:48
Well, I'm really glad that it wasn't traumatic for you! Kind of disappointing that it didn't help. But you gave it a good try, and now you know.
You should feel proud of yourself for trying it.
Posted by Sabina on February 3, 2004, at 14:53:05
In reply to Re: Dinah, EMDR? » gardenergirl, posted by Dinah on January 31, 2004, at 9:40:04
my first session is tomorrow. i'm really thankful and lucky that my regular therapist is trained in EMDR. i don't know if i would have gone for it, otherwise.
i guess i'm wondering how much it will benefit me when i'm not consciously traumatized on a daily basis by the PTSD issue/event, even though i know it is at the heart of my problems with self worth. it's more a matter of fact...yeah, i wish that hadn't happened to me. i'm angry because i feel like i'm already invalidating the experience for myself by downgrading what remains of my feelings of the time.
then again, the root of my issue is total emotional and physical invalidation and powerlessness that i experienced as a child in a world where jesus was the solution to everything and satan was the cause of everything bad. i'm probably also having typical fear of the unknown, last minute jitters. zoiks!
Posted by Dinah on February 3, 2004, at 16:48:08
In reply to Re: EMDR tomorrow, first time for me, posted by Sabina on February 3, 2004, at 14:53:05
A little jitteriness might be good. But really, there's nothing to worry about. It might have been a bit more productive for me if my real therapist had done the EMDR, so you're lucky there.
Let me know what you think of it?
Posted by antigua on February 4, 2004, at 9:41:33
In reply to Re: EMDR tomorrow, first time for me » Sabina, posted by Dinah on February 3, 2004, at 16:48:08
Good luck. I've found EMDR to be a great adjunct to my talk therapy. It hasn't been easy, but it has been very helpful.
As Dinah said, let us know how it goes.
antigua
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.
Posted by Dinah on February 5, 2004, at 8:35:32
In reply to Re: EMDR, overwriting bad files, posted by Sabina on February 5, 2004, at 0:06:28
Posted by Medusa on February 6, 2004, at 8:38:17
In reply to Re: EMDR, overwriting bad files, posted by Sabina on February 5, 2004, at 0:06:28
This sounds great, Sabina!
I've been wondering about trying this in addition to the high-pressure therapy I'm going through. It sounds like EMDR could facilitate the work of the other therapy.
I'd really like to hear about your ongoing experience with this, if you're comfortable sharing.
- M
Posted by antigua on February 7, 2004, at 13:13:23
In reply to Re: EMDR, overwriting bad files, posted by Sabina on February 5, 2004, at 0:06:28
Sounds like you had a very positive experience. I was glad to read about it because I'm never sure I'm doing it "right". My experience is not the same as yours, except for once or twice I've felt very powerful when I've left because I've visualized myself beating down my father (sexual abuse issues), or visualized giving him back 2/3 of the responsibility for what happened to me as a kid. The eye movements don't help me to remember, but I can feel how I felt as a young girl describing what happened. I feel like I'm watching a movie unfold, but it is my life, and there really isn't a lot of emotion attached. I know I have a long way to go to integrate the little girl with the woman so I can feel, but I think EMDR has been effective in some ways.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I still think I'm an odd duck when it comes to this, but it's nice to know it works well for other people.
antigua
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