Re:EMDR & Dissociation & Parts

That is an excellent question regarding what more can EMDR do for you. I would like to give you some food for thought. Because EMDR conditions the brain to abreact, especially outside of therapy sessions, learning how to untrigger yourself is intrinsic during the process of using EMDR. Your therapist cannot be there during the many dissociative times during the day and untriggering those dissociative blended states is crucial to your stability. As I teach clients who are severely dissociated, I often tell them to be in charge of their own parts and system of alters. But I do not tell them to do something without first teaching them how to do it.

It is hard for dissociative persons to be aware of their parts and when they are moving about inside of them because of the "blending effect" that moving parts (alters) cause to the host. The internal moving of alters or parts causes forgetfullness, quick changes of mood, likes and dislikes etc.. If the moving parts are in memory mode then the host person becomes hypervigilant, scared and fearful, often tasting and smelling odors or fragrances and doesn't know why. It is these types of dissociative phenomenon that the host person can learn to control and yes, even untrigger and stop the internal process of, thereby becoming less dissociative and triggerable and even more whole.

There are many things to learn other than 501 ways to be abused. Retrieving dissociated memories is only a small part of treatment. Unfortunately though, many therapists spend more time on this piece, than the rest of the important therapeutic issues.

I hope this helps a little,

Cynthia

Replies:

Re:EMDR & Dissociation & Parts, by Sandra Paulsen Inobe, PhD, 08/16/01 Re:EMDR & Dissociation & Parts, by Sandra Paulsen Inobe, PhD, 08/17/01

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