EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

[terransage]

Today a woman I'd never met before talked to me for five minutes and suddenly said, "I can tell you have PTSD, probably from trauma when you were a kid, like from alcoholic parents." I freaked out, because she was right about my parents and childhood. I'd never thought about PTSD, though. She suggested EMDR, which is why I came here. The only problem is that I've had hundreds of traumatic experiences, all the way into adulthood. Does each experience have to be treated separately?

[CreateYourHealth]

@terransage - Trauma is a funny beast. Sometimes many of our trauma situations can be linked or coupled to one event or a series of events. Either way EMDR is really effective in releasing the trauma and ALL trauma release work you do will lessen the load you carry from the trauma. It might all dissolve as a whole or it might break into chunks. Somatic Trauma Resolution is another highly effective tool that was really good for me! I filmed an episode of that as well...

[rachellemay111]

@terransage Good question. I want to know that too.

[DrMezmeric]

@terransag It's kind of like peeling layers of an onion.

[803badmutha]

I don't get it, Peter. You ask all these wonderful, skeptical, reasonable questions of the practitioner of whatever the therapy du jour is, and then just wholeheartedly accept whatever their cop-out answer is, regardless of its actual merit. Do you really believe in all this stuff?

[CreateYourHealth]

@803badmutha - Thanks for watching! First EMDR is an accepted practice by the American Psychiatry Association and several other highly recognized organizations. Second, I've experienced healing from treatments much "crazier" then this that changed my life! When Western medicine only offered experimental drugs and exploratory surgery, some "crazy" holistic treatment healed me. I always say, "Take what you like and leave the rest". It's up to you to find the modalities that work for you. PB xo

[Ibreakfortailgators]

My therapist wants to try this in treatment for my ED. I've read that EMDR is effective for this, but does it have the same success as for treating PTSD?

Also, I have ADHD, and I'm worried that I'll become too distracted by the movement/sounds--is this baseless?

[CreateYourHealth]

@Ibreakfortailgators - I've never thought of using this for ED. Great idea! Like you said, it is normally used for PTSD but if your ED issues are trauma based then I'd think it would work perfectly. As for your having ADHD, I think EMDR is going to be perfect for you. It might even work faster.

[Ibreakfortailgators]

@CreateYourHealth

I dunno what it's all stemming from, but I guess we're gonna give it a go on Monday.

[CreateYourHealth]

@Ibreakfortailgators - Sometimes these things are quick remedies and sometimes they take time. Either way, let me know how it goes. Have a great weekemd!

PB

[chromakey84]

@Ibreakfortailgators can you tell me how it went?

[indomitablespirit95]

Hiya.

I'm considering going to a therapist who uses EMDR, as I've developed PTSD, or so I've been told after my grandad's death.

But the idea of someone waving their hands in front of my face actually scares me? Combined with panic attacks, and somewhat, mild social anxiety, I don't want to follow the light or the beam. I'll be too paranoid the therapist is thinking, 'what an idiot.'

[CreateYourHealth]

@indomitablespirit95- Hey, Great to hear from you and thanks for commenting. Some EMDR therapists will only use the headsets (like what you see in this webisode), others with use a metronome and still others will use the finger back and forth approach. When you look for a therapist ask them what style they use when doing the EMDR work. As a hypnotherapist it's my experience that all negative behavior has a beneficial root. What's the subconscious positive benefit of resistance?

[CreateYourHealth]

@MaryLynnSunset - Good observation. There is something about the eye movement that creates measurable electrical activity in the brain from one hemisphere of the brain to the other (side to side). This activity while telling the traumatic story is what breaks the trauma. It can be achieved through eye movement and through sound and even tapping on one side of the body then the other and activating the two hemispheres in a back and forth pattern (repeatedly) for a duration of time.

[MaryLynnSunset]

It's a replacement for the feeling -- you could choice to knit.... in AA they rub a coin when they want to drink -- I'm not so sure that the eye movement is as important as a simply replacement for that thought ... so when the neg feeling arises you have a different place to move your feelings. LIke w/ a diet -- you dont diet you replace food w/ something else.

[brittanylevionnois]

EMDR is an incredible treatment for PTSD and I can say this from experience and someone who has been treated with this technique! I am impressed at how well it assists with anxiety and how it has changed how I view and now react to the trauma I've been through!

I can understand how some may knock this or think it may be a scam but we sometimes need to go back to basics and think more around "You cannot know it until you try it!!!" philosophy.

[CreateYourHealth]

@brittanylevionnois Hey Brittany - Thanks for your comment. I'm really happy EMDR was a success for you. It's interesting how people will attack something they know nothing about. My show is all about giving people choices and sharing experiences and I appreciate your experience. I say "take what you like and leave the rest". thanks for watching!

PB

[TheGoalSetter]

Tapping and shifty eye technique is complete rubbish. Not only do these "specialists" don't care about people's problems, they actually can cause harm.

Notice how the specialist sits in a higher chair...that is a classic con man authority trick.

But the real dead giveaway is that he is fat. Why didn't he tap his way to a healthy weight? Cuz, he's a quack.

[CreateYourHealth]

@TheGoalSetter - Well, thanks for watching. I appreciate your opinion but you might want to do a little research on this. EMDR is a popular technique endorsed by the American Psychiatry Association as well as many Western medical groups. The process involves shifting attention from one hemisphere of the brain to the other. It has proven highly effective in helping our Vets and others heal from PTSD and other traumatic disorders.

BTW-Guillermo has passed on. He was an incredible loving man.

[anne0203]

interesting

how do you check an emdr specialist authenticity ?

[nAstYnAstYgRL]

@anne0203

hi! to be able to apply EMDR you need to be trained by a EMDR Trainer. There are meetings for this at certain dates in different countries, for example i was in the Level 1 of the Basic EMDR this weekend in Madrid (spain) and once you finish you get a diploma... (now i need to have certain supervised cases, and will do the second part of basic level in a few months) in my case its certificated by EMDR Europe and EMDR Institute (US) since my trainer is a qualified trainer for both.