Re:Habituation effects

Interesting question -- I've never heard it asked and there is no research that I know of that would even touch on it.

Here is my impression however. I'd strike the word "habituation", since I don't think that's what it would be. Habituation doesn't occur in longstanding EMDR therapy where many targets are selected and processed. As long as there is material, there is material to work on. Since it doesn't seem to effect therapy, I don't think it (habituation) would effect self-administered bilateral stim plus EMDR therapy.

If there is no material left that causes dysfunction, then neither self administered bilateral stimulation nor EMDR would be needed.

No, the relevant question is what effect does self-administered bilateral stim (BLS) have on concurrent EMDR therapy? My impression (anecdotal, clinical, personal) is:

1. self-administered bls is hard to turn into EMDR, because a) there is a complex process to EMDR and its hard to observe the process and be in it at the same time,
b) defenses emerge that interfere with and block processing,
c) there can be some value for experienced EMDR therapists trying to do their own work with it. I've found it easier to access material than to complete it. Which is like saying, it's easier to make an incision than to remove the tumor well. Anybody can make an incision.

2. self-administered bls can take small bites out of the work, but there is nobody to really engineer the work
a) it's like turning the body of the work into swiss cheese. Yes holes have been removed but what about what's left? How does one have the vision to see what needs to be done? (Goetl's incompleteness theorum - spelling uncertain). I like to say, it's hard to finish waxing the floor of the room you are standing in.

In sum, I don't see any contraindication to doing self-administered bls while doing EMDR work in terms of interfering with the work itself. But don't expect it to really accomplish too much.

One note of caution: a few people may find themselves made emotionally raw even by self administered BLS. That fact may interfere with EMDR therapy, which has its own pace. Good EMDR has an incision, an excision process, and a closure. If the patient keeps making their own incisions between surgeries, they may bleed. This doesn't often happen though because defenses close people up like a bear trap.

I don't think I can fit any more metaphors into this post, so I'll quit while I'm behind.

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