SurvivingInfidelity.com Forum Archives

Helen of Troy posted 10/26/2013 15:22 PM

If you would share your EDMR experiences whether good or bad I would appreciate it.

persevere posted 10/26/2013 15:46 PM

I'm very interested in this too...

ProbableIceCream posted 10/26/2013 17:49 PM

I did EMDR about 7 years ago. It pulled me out of a 3-4 year chronic moderate-to-severe depression when no medication touched it.

I'm restarting it now with the same counselor. Will start it next week -- I've only just done a 'catch up / here's what happened in the last 7 years / intake' session on Friday. I'm quite excited. I have high hopes that it will help me with some past traumas.

So my vote is give it a try! If it doesn't work for you, cognitive-behavioral therapy oriented towards trauma is good too (there is evidence that EMDR and CBT are about as good, but CBT takes a bit more homework).

Jrazz posted 10/26/2013 18:22 PM

I did it in the very beginning and it truly helped with mind movies, which in turn helped me get back to sleeping.

Laura28 posted 10/26/2013 18:59 PM

Hi

I did it. For me it worked really well with the mind movies.

The sadness etc is still there but it takes away the truly debilitating crying meltdowns. The thoughts about some of the worst things lose their sting. You will still feel sad but not fall apart all the time if that makes sense?

The great thing about it is that it usually only takes 7-10 sessions.

When I first saw it mentioned here I googled "surviving infidelity emdr" and found lots of threads about it on SI. Lots of responders seem to have found it helpful.

If you do decide to google it don't forget to click on "More results from www.survivinginfidelity.com" at the bottom of the first google entry. You will see many results.

My advice - give EMDR ago. You have nothing to lose.

HUGS

Laura

TrustedHer posted 10/26/2013 22:07 PM

Second-hand story:

My best friend's wife was literally hit by a bus. Her car was destroyed, bones were broken, concussions, and really bad PTSD.

Like, so bad, she could only ride in a car with a blindfold or focusing on her iphone the whole time, and even then, freeways made her shake.

Eventually, she white-knuckled herself into being able to drive on backroads, so her husband didn't have to take off work for every one of her many, many doctor follow-up appointments.

She still has serious health issues, some permanent physical damage from from the wreck, but the fear of being in a vehicle and driving on freeways was conquered, and a big part of that was EMDR.

Incidentally, her actual PTSD diagnosis was made by the same doctor who invented the term, and he was deposed for the lawsuit against the bus company.

I've hear EMDR doesn't work for everybody, and sometimes, getting through the therapy can be pretty intense as you process the events. But when it works, it seems to work pretty well.

Compartmented posted 10/27/2013 21:16 PM

getting through the therapy can be pretty intense as you process the events. But when it works, it seems to work pretty well.

It is intense, and I found that it works REALLY well! It's fast. The intensity is hard to gear up for, but the fast results are definitely worth it.

I do think you need to have a lot of trust with the therapist who's doing it.

Highly recommend!

damncutekitty posted 10/28/2013 22:50 PM

Before we did EMDR, my therapist had me start DBT classes. She was worried that I would not be able to emotionally handle all the things that can get stirred up in EMDR sessions.

I am very glad I did both. EMDR worked very well for me, and the skills I learned in DBT were life changing. It was a long 2 years of therapy, but worth every minute as I was basically a whole new person afterwards.

twokids posted 10/30/2013 00:00 AM

I was really struggling emotionally after multiple ddays and three years of false recovery. I tried IC, ADs, workshops, and support groups. They all had helped in their way, but EMDR was the most effective in helping me get back to my earlier, happier self.

ruinedandbroken posted 10/30/2013 08:58 AM

Damncutekitty, what are DBT classes?

damncutekitty posted 10/30/2013 11:18 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectical_behavior_therapy

I suppose technically it is group therapy, but it felt more like classes to me.