EMDR FORUM ARCHIVE, 2000
Re:EMDR and conversion and PTSD
Sandra Paulsen PhD · 02/11/04 at 3:45 PM ET
I assume you mean conversion disorder AND PTSD, both. Bearing in mind that we don't do individual case consultations here, I'll say a few general things that may or may not apply in this case. Conversion disorder is understood by some of us as the body's way of "keeping the score" about some unresolved traumatic matter. Often, the conversion symptom bears some logical relationship to one of the most disturbing aspects of the trauma, once all is known about the trauma. It is understood by some then as a dissociative symptom. It can be the only dissociative symptom or can be part of a larger dissociative picture. With anyone undergoing EMDR, we urge that the person be screened first for a dissociative disorder. If the person is DID (and by no means am I saying your husband is DID, this is just a general caution) then the treatment should only be done by someone trained in the treatment of DID. EMDR occurs in the later stages of DID treatment, not in the containment and stabilization stages. If not DID, then the EMDR can safely proceed. The EMDR may pull in the conversion symptom as part of the processing. It may need interweaves to successfully complete the processing. There should be enough time at the end for a safe close down procedure. If the above procedure is used, the odds of the treatment working are quite good, tho there is no research I'm aware of of EMDR for conversion symptoms. EMDR at this point is hardly a fad therapy. There is plenty of research to support its use in PTSD.,
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