Dear Brian, Re: Saddened by the recent threats and personal attacks

I agree that you have been respectful of all considered on here, and deserve the same in return.

I have been following the posts to some degree, and have made some comments. It is difficult for me, as a layperson, to understand most of what both you and Dr. Shapiro have cited due to a few reasons: One of which is that the psychological and scientific jargon is beyond my scope, secondly, I do not have access to the materials that either of you have cited (and yes, I did follow the link you provided to me in one post, but it was only an abstract to that article) and even if I were able to read all the articles, etc. it doesnt mean I would be able to decipher them to make them fully understandable to me.

From what I have gathered however, there is evidence that supports BOTH of your sides of the argument. You, Brian have cited several articles "against EMDR", and Dr. Shapiro has done the same "for EMDR." You have stated that the totality of the evidence comes out against EDMR... but from what I have seen, it appears more to be a very close match, (perhaps 45-50).

I have experienced EMDR myself, and have found it more disturbing than good old CBT. (In traditional talk therapy, I have never experienced the opening up of old scars in such emotional ways) In some ways I felt like a wound was opened and never closed. I never had that experience with just talk therapy. But their are many situational factors here to consider. Among them; was it the EMDR that caused these things to come up in such a way that I felt it to that degree, or was it that I had come to a point in my life that I was ready to look at that particular wound a little deeper? I truly dont know. So I cannot say that it was due to EMDR or not.

In the end, I find it difficult to believe that EMDR is a complete hoax on the basis of what has been said here. I am not saying that it is a definite success, but that is not to say that it is a ridiculous idea and should be tossed out the window.

This is Dr. Shapiro's discovery, and of course she will defend it. There are many on here who also will defend it. You have come to a pro-EMDR message board and stated your evidence against it, so I personally do not find it surprising that you may be banned from the site. That is not to say that there are those like myself who do not appreciate that you have questioned this type of therapy.
You could always start your own message board that you and supporters could claim your opposing viewpoints, and give all people a chance to see both sides of the issue.

I have appreciated your openness on this issue, and Brian, you have caused me to think twice about EMDR. I was willing to accept it whole-heartedly before I read your posts, but now I do have my suspicions. If anything, you have reminded me to not always accept what a person of authority recommends as always the best solution/answer.

I truly believe that in time, EMDR will show its true colors, as either a successful novelty or as a failure. So I do wish you luck in your future endeavors and hope you will find peace with this.

Replies:

There are no replies to this message.

| Behavior OnLine Home Page | Disclaimer |

Copyright © 1996-2004 Behavior OnLine, Inc. All rights reserved.