Re:Self administered EMDR

I think its hard to do substantive work with self using EMDR because defenses just pop up but we can't see them, so we fizzle out. Having said that, some of us try, and succeed to a limited degree.

I would do the usual workshop of the Targeted Incident, the Picture that represents the worst part of the incident, the negative self statement about the self now that goes with that picture, the parallel positive self statement that is desired as an outcome, how true that seems now on a 7 point scale where 1 = completely false and 7 = completely true, the emotion or disturbance associated with that picture now when one thinks about the negative self statement, how disturbing that is on a 10 point scale where 0 = completely neutral and 10 = the most disturbance one can imagine. Then I'd start bilateral stim either by using two corners of a room or some such visual marker, or a light bar or other form of bilateral stim such as tapping. I'd force myself to stay with it. If it got stuck I'd look inside to see what it was stuck upon.

I've personally had good luck doing the workup, taking a nap with headphones on with bilateral stim, and then when I get up I check the original target, and the level of belief in the desired cognition and the level of disturbance and funnily enough it is typically resolved.

I don't recommend dissociative people do this, tho a protective part of self would probably just shut the thing down anyway.

And some people use the "butterfly hug" to lower disturbance quickly, tho it may not address the deepr matter. This involves folding ones arms at the torso and alternately tapping the torse iwth the left hand then the right then the left and so forth.

But its much easier to get the work from an outside helper who can help target and check and get things unstuck. Kind of like dental work; hard to do a good job on the deep work, but for preventive maintenance you can do okay.

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