EMDR FORUM ARCHIVE, 2000
Re:Nightmares/EMDR
Sandra Paulsen Inobe PhD · 08/24/03 at 1:54 ET
I can't comment on your specific case - its a policy I go by here. But I'll make some general comments. We always urge therapists to screen every client for dissociative features before doing EMDR. That's because EMDR tends to erode dissociative barriers in general and produce flooding, and there are a number of things that should be done first, containment and stabilization, ego strengthening, and obtaining consent from the self system first. The screening step should not be skipped. When ever a therapist finds that a client is flooded after EMDR, for any reason, EMDR and any other trauma processing should be stopped until containment and stabilization is reinstated. This is true whether the client is formally dissociative or not. You may wish to print this out and take it to your therapist, who can help you determine whether this applies to you. I can't tell if it does or not. The challenge is to titrate the intensity of the experience, meaning, decrease (or increase, for some people) the flow of processing to a manageable level. Its like a hose that is either blasting or just dribbling -- not helpful. Needs to be in that optimal moderate range. For anyone flooding with a cascade of too much intensity of memory, relaxation procedures, containment procedures, "tucking in" parts of self that are holding the material, and calling upon strong parts of self to give comfort, and so forth are helpful. And remembering it is temporary, and that the "stuff" is all old stuff, not happening now. And if there are uncontrollable impulses, hospitalization should be considered. These comments are generally helpful for people, and I use them for everybody, not just people who are flooded or dissociative -- everybody, to make the processing manageable. Please talk to your therapist about these things.
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