Re:What if the client is not ready for the memories..

Individuals who are not ready to face the temporary discomfort that may result during EMDR should not dive in to EMDR until they are ready. Here are some of the things that people can do to prepare and a good EMDR therapist can assist in all these ways:
- the therapist can do resource installation to strengthen the client's feelings of ability to cope
- there should be a good ability to self sooth, and a "soothing place" or "safe place" installed where a client can calm themself if discomfort occurs betweens sessions.
- there can be imaginal devices to make the discomfort more palattable, such as having a screen and projector in the minds eye and a remote control that the client can use in their imagination to make the processing more distant, or fuzzy, so it is less intense. There are other similar strategies as well, including only addressing a small piece at a time.
- all EMDR therapists should screen for dissociative conditions before the first EMDR on any client (not saying you are dissociative, just that all the therapists need to always check). This is because there can be parts of the self that block the processing right in the middle. This is like having one foot on the brakes and one foot on the accelerator -- not a good way to try to proceed down any road.
- the client can do some reading to be prepared for some of the normal thoughts and feelings that may (or not) emerge during the processing. The reading would depend on what the issue is at hand and the therapist can help guide.
- Client feelings of not being ready are normal defenses -- once the readiness emerges the defenses will settle back own and allow the necessary work. The readiness will emerge when the above steps are taken, and if and when the client sees that the therapist has the necessary ability and experience to assist.

The above were general statements, not tailored to your case, but you might print this off, take it in to your therapist, and talk about these things to make sure you are ready. I wouldn't dive in to EMDR without having these at least some of these things in place.

Replies:

Re:What if the client is not ready for the memories.., by Ron, 01/11/02 Re:What if the client is not ready for the memories.., by Sandra Paulsen Inobe, PhD, 01/15/02 Re:What if the client is not ready for the memories.., by Zee, 02/12/02 Re:What if the client is not ready for the memories.., by Mother of a BP Child, 05/14/04 Re:What if the client is not ready for the memories.., by bipcelt, 05/18/04

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