EMDR Treatment for PTSD

After 10 sessions of EMDR...this being in the early months of this year..I must write and say how inadequate this therapy was to my particular Post Traumatic stress....I have felt much worse than I did before the treatment, and find that my mind is now so muddled and confused that it seems that the treatment for an extremely stressful 'problem' is aggravated even more...true, after pouring one's very soul out to a therapist,one does benefit by the outpour of thoughts and feelings, and the flow of tears that were hard to bring forth...but.....and maybe it is because of the nature of my trauma... the overall long lasting effect I so desperatley needed has not been forthcoming...[a fairly 'calm' feeling lasted less than a month after my last visit to the Therapist..this I am sure was simply because one had someone to 'talk to about the stress..

Going to this therapy with an open mind was my plan...initiated by the advice of my Doctor..this, after persevering for nine years with PSTD..

I don't want to sound like a moaner without a cause, but must advice all who are considering this treatment to be extremely mindful that side effects can be imminent to certain people...and that is not just to the overly sensitive individual...after all your brain waves are being challenged and re sorted..my response to EMDR has NOT had the deired effect professed by the experts in this field..but I do know that many have benefitted from it.

The trauma I experienced was not from childhood , [nor from a veteran of War, and I am not a victim of any kind of abuse ] but was brought about by an act that I had no control over whatsoever...why it hasn't worked for me is something I do not understand, being a lay person and not well versed in the activity of the brain..I only know that I am not the same person now after this treatment...I would be interested to know whether I stand alone in this adverse reaction, or others have felt the same..

EMDR may be a good therapy for a lot of trauma's and I would be advising Doctors to make sure that their patient really need to have this...maybe more studies are needed on adverse reactions??

As a footnote..lets not forget that Doctors and Therapists are just 'practicing' medicine...

Replies:

Re:EMDR Treatment for PTSD, by Barbara, 07/20/03 Re:EMDR Treatment for PTSD, by Sandra Paulsen Inobe PhD, 07/20/03

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