Re:How long before EMDR is effective?

To caution both posters, this is not a place where we can do individual case consultation - we can only talk in generalities because we don't have complete assessments, which I think is the point of Researcher (I mean, the point that we need more information) but even with more information this is not the place for individual clinical work.

SO! Let me make general comments.

For a hypothetical person whose life was peachy keen until the car accident three years ago, 1, 2 or 3 sessions are going to clear up the nightmares, the anger at the cops, and perhaps even the adjustment to the physical losses.

For a hypothetical person with lots of knots in the tapestry, for whom daily life in childhood was an infinite series of insults, disappointments, betrayals, negativities, going-withouts, and hurts, and for whom the defenses are oh-so thick and guarded, the progress would be very slow. The light would come on in the room slowly, like a rheostat effect. Also, EMDR may not help everyone, but if the knots in the tapestry are from the above list of hurts, my clinical experience has been that there is reason to persevere, not to expect dramatic changes (as in our car accident example).

At the same time, VERY WELL CHOSEN targets will produce better results than poorly chosen targets. A surgeon with the coordinates of a tumor will do a better job in laser surgery than the one approximating the tumor and hitting its edges. For many people, processing disturbing memories related to earliest memories of mother, father, and other key childhood relationships (including their absenses) will pay off -- slowly over time.

I still stay that ego state therapy to enlist the parts of self involved in protection will pay off in spades for many people, so they know they won't be out a job. They'll be key in acting as an energy source for healing and wholeness. Even planting that seed so it will grow over time is a gentle process that unfolds over time.

These comments may or may not apply in your case.

Good luck to you and any other people who have to have faith in a new procedure to find hope. Do let us know how it turns out for you over time. Okay?

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