Re:emdr and ego states

These comments are in general rather than tailored to your specific case.

Both EMDR and Ego State Therapy have the potential to pull forward aspects of self, or non-egotized material like body sensations, that have been out of awareness previously. Both methods can be used to contain, access and modify these states. In combination they are very potent in my opinion.

The emergence of otherwise inexplicable body sensations after EMDR OR ego state work (assuming nothing is medically wrong) is a sign that something got pulled forward or not contained or "tucked in" at the end of the session.

As a therapist, I'd ask whatever aspect of self knows about the symptom to come into the conference room in the minds eye and let itself and its concerns be known. There's much more to it, but that's the beginning. For a non-dissociative client, the EMDR can proceed on that ego state material that emerges in the conference room. For a dissociative client, the EMDR shouldn't be continued until it is well known what is at stake for that part of self, and how the EMDR might destabilize the self system, and what might need to be done to reequilibriate the self.

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Re:emdr and ego states, by , 03/23/02

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