Posted by kate on March 23, 2000, at 12:17:24
In reply to Re: EMDR, posted by dbcooper on March 22, 2000, at 22:01:52
i very much understand your nervousness about dealing
with such a traumatic event. i have the smae problems
every time i do it. it is perfectly natural. but
imagine how you feel after you have faced the traumatic
events that have caged your rage and greif for so long.
afterwards, i felt like i had let go of a great deal
of baggage. sometimes it will take more than a few
times to get to that point but however long it takes,
it is worth it. i said that you should be comfortable
with your therapist mainly because the more comfortable
you are when beginning the emdr, the more beneficial
it can be to you as a whole. often times, when just beginning
one works on building a "safe place" in your mind that
you can return to if you feel like you are getting
out of control. it can be a memory of your kitchen, church,
a beautiful natural place or a place that is a fantasy for you.
as long as it is a place that makes you feel nurtured
and peaceful. this building of a safe place helps you to get
comfortable with the whole technique as well as just have a
foundation of security with which to rely on. what happens is
happens is the person administering the emdr sort of
explians it you, how it works and what it does etc.
then you build your safe place, you describe it to the
person andministering. oftentimes you will pick three
specific words that you associate with your safe place.
then if you are ready you address your traumatic event
by describing three words you associate with that event.
the point of the emdr is to get your feeling about
the traumatic event closer to those of your safe place.
it helps to resolve unresolved issues and it helps you
to gain and unlock knowledge and find acceptance and
growth from your experience. the person waves their hand
close to your face and you follow their moving hands
with your eyes. it simulates r.e.m. sleep. each time you
just go with whatever imagery or event proceeds from the
next one. (you begin with the initial event and proceed
from there.) it can be very intense but as long as the
person who is administering the emdr knows what they are
doing (make sure they've been certified), they will not
allow the situation to get out of control. you can stop
whenever you need to or greturn to your safe place for some
strength to deal with whatever you need to deal
with. i encourage you to try it. as long as it is
practiced safely and you are ready to do it it can
work wonders. and if it is too much for you, all you
have to say is, "i need to stop now." and you can!
let me know how it goes. i will be doing it again soon
too so i'll let you know how my experience went too.
good luck!~kate
poster:kate
thread:27828
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000321/msgs/27941.html