EMDR FORUM ARCHIVE, 2000
Carol Ann Rowland, M.S.W., R.S.W.
BLS being a trigger · 02/15/03 at 11:41 ET
I have a new client, referred to me for emdr treatment, who has had one previous emdr treatment a year or so ago. That treatment didn't go particularly well - it sounds to me that the client was not adequately screened or prepared (she is dissociative). I don't feel she is a great candidate at this time for usual emdr treatment, but I am in the process of further assessing her and exploring the possibility of using the Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy (Shirley Jean Schmidt's) approach w/ her. My question is this - part of what she says she didn't like about emdr was the bilateral stimulation. The therapist used a theratapper or similar device, and the client said that it was a trigger for her, because her abuser used to actually beat her in a bilateral way - hitting her across her head and ears, alternating left and right sides of the body. At first I was thinking that the audio bilateral stimulation might be less triggering because it isn't tactile though of course now it is occurring to me that it involves her EARS and so may also be triggerring. It seems to me eye movements might possibly feel less triggerring for her, but this poses a slight problem as I have no light bar and not to whine or anything but I just can NOT seem to do the motions long enough - esp for DNMS which seems to use BLS for longer periods - my arm just gets too tired!! And the EMs are also left/right sides so may still be a trigger too. I have thought of beginning emdr at least - installing the resources - using eye movements, but vertical ones rather than horizontal - I find them less tiring for me, and also often quite calming for clients (anxiety is something of an issue here). I have been told that these vertical eye movements are also considered BLS but I dont' quite understand why. 1) are they still BLS even though they go up and down, rather than left to right? 2) any other ideas? I have used emdr to desensitize a trigger before, for another client who was not a great candidate for emdr but desperately needing something desensitized....not sure if that would be another possibility - somehow desensitizing BLS...but then of course I don't know how to do that w/o using BLS. Catch22.
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