Re:EMDR

I will begin with the usual caution about the impossibility of diagnosing anything in this forum and format.

Here's what I know on this subject -- for years EMDR practitioners have been raising this subject, and asking about any contraindications for using EMDR with people with epilepsy. I have never heard of a single case, and people do keep asking. If someone else knows of such cases I hope they'll contact me or Dr. Shapiro.

What I have seen, however, on several occasions, is that sometimes pseudoseizures occur (that is, something that looks like a seizure but is not caused by a physiologically brain-based problem or injury). It doesn't mean the person is faking, or that the "seizures" aren't very real to the person experiencing them, however.

Such events can be, but are not always, associated with very early trauma. Those early traumatic memories then can be triggered/activiated by EMDR. I am not saying this happened in your case - I simply do not know and cannot offer an opinion. I am only saying that I have seen this result on several occasions.

If someone has been thoroughly evaluated medically with no medical diagnosis resulting, then this possibility I just mentioned becomes a bit more likely to be plausible in a particular case. Once early traumatic material gets opened up or triggered by EMDR, then sometimes any other activities that involve eye movements, such as dreaming (REM) or reading can be disturbing and triggering of the traumatic material until it is finally dealt with completely by processing it through. I hope you'll follow up with someone who can help you rule this in or out, if your medical evaluations have been adequate. There is a special EMDR protocol for such instances.

Again, do understand that the above cannot possibly be adequate to be specifically tailored to your situation, and is not a diagnosis. Please do follow up with an appropriately trained EMDR professional to help rule pseudoseizures in or out, as appropriate.

You may find other discussions on the subject of EMDR and epileptic seizures in the archives of this forum.

Best regards,

Sandra Paulsen Inobe, PhD
Walnut Creek California

Replies:

Re:EMDR, by Lorie Freet, 09/20/00 Re:EMDR, by Sandra Paulsen Inobe PhD, 09/20/00

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