Re:EMDR to treat early medical trauma

This is an area where there is no research. However, a Canadian social worker, Maureen Kitchur, has some techniques for using EMDR to access preverbal material. That might include bringing in photos or objects from the time period, and accessing the body sensations without the whole standard protocol. I've had very good luck for some people in accessing early material this way. It's hard to get negative and positive cognitions when there are early ego states involved, because the affect and logic is quite primitive of course.

Myself, I tend to access early states by asking the client to glance into an internal conference room and ask the little one (whatever age) to come into the room. I only do this if there are older ego state/adult positive resources available to provide strength and containment. This is an ego state approach.

I've also had luck working in a colleaguial fashion with certain body workers who get the material moving, and then I add EMDR on the material released in the body work session. I've had a few people get tremendous releases in this way.

No research, just case report.

Replies:

Re:EMDR to treat early medical trauma, by Marie, 11/01/02

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