2 cents worth

Shawn said, earlier:

"However, if you are motivated by not having to listen to the content of your patient?s traumatic experiences, then why not use anxiety management or cognitive restructuring. These two treatments also work for PTSD and require no discussion of the trauma at all. Why not use them instead?"

Since he was responding to me and this quote is living on, I guess I'll reply to it (I try not to reply to EVERYTHING here).

It is NOT that one is motivated by not having to listen to the content of our patient's traumatic experiences." Aargh, no, it is an honor for our patients to entrust us with their stories, it is part of the process, for many, to not have to go through it alone this time, but to be understood for the first time for some.

What I was referring to originally, whenever that was, is that for some patients shame prevents them from articulating their particulars, so telling their stories in exposure treatment is a problem. In EMDR, a person can keep parts private if its too shameful. Generally, they get desensitized soon enough and say it anyway.

It is true that therapist vicarious traumatization is a consideration, and so some may get to the point where they do EMDR without hearing details. However, EMDR therapists can recover from vicarious traumatization, because they can get their trauma exposure hosed off with EMDR without much fuss.

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