i was offered emdr about a year ago ,before this episode, but now i don’t want to do it. my current ocd episode is interlinked with my trauma but im afraid that if i do emdr ill remember bad things i’ve done, or have more awareness on bad things i’ve done. the guilt is unbearable some days and i don’t think i can deal with it more. has anyone with OCD done emdr?
I have PTSD and OCD, I’ve tried EMDR multiple times and I personally hate it. I don’t see any progress with it, it increases my symptoms for both, and I end up disassociating during the sessions a lot and for me personally it’s hard for people to tell when I do disassociate which is not good in EMDR. This has been my personal experience with it every time I tried it and I’ve given it a good go 5 or 6 times now. I would recommend asking if you can start with brain spotting instead and see how you do with that. Brain spotting is similar but it’s much much less intense and helps you reprocess memories without having to actually enter back into specific memories. Very similar to EMDR without forcing your body to have a flashback, much better in my opinion.
appreciate your suggestion and explanation. I will definitely check out this "gentler" brain spotting approach on my path to revisit emdr. I should add that I "prepped" for EMDR by starting with a gentler process called DNMS** I've yet to tackle the big tall capital " T" traumas with EMDR. **see a bit more info in self-reply to this emdr thread
@LILAC_UP I also have C-PTSD but it sounds like we have different definitions for it in my country? Where I live the C actually stands for complex and the difference is with C-PTSD the trauma is recurrent and/or are long term traumatic events. Maybe it indicates child abuse but someone who has experienced domestic violence or trafficking can also have C-PTSD. I’ve always done prep sessions before starting with EMDR but it’s never helped me unfortunately. The brain spotting has been effective for me paired with talk therapy. Another therapy I’ve done that is very off the beaten path and kind of heady is holotropic breath work, I began if a few years ago with a therapist and I thought that she was completely crazy when we started it and did not think it was going to work but it’s actually also been very effective for me at unpacking suppressed emotions and memories. There are honestly a lot of options for treatment and it’s just about finding what works for you.
I've done emdr but it was after I had done a good bit of work to reduce shame already. I did remember more things but it was more healing than anything. A good emdr therapist should be able to tell if you're a good candidate for it currently. Ideally they have experience with OCD already. If youre concerned about guilt maybe try softer trauma modalities in the meantime. I find IFS really helpful if I'm scared of repressed memories.
I'm hoping to explore IFS through a couple new audiobooks. So far it seems a softer approach that shares several commonalities with an EMDR "precursor modality" called DNMS (for those w/ C-PTSD).. a therapist (kindly) shared why I was not a good candidate to jump directly into EMDR until I adjusted the rapid progress expectations I'd dreamed of to realistically support and apply to me!
I've done EMDR because a psychologist thought my suicidal OCD (I was not diagnosed at the time) was caused by someone very close to me attempting suicide when I was 15. While it didn't cure my OCD, it definitely helped with the memory of that event and my OCD dropped that theme.
It was my EMDR therapist that suspected OCD was complicating PTSD healing. My experience is both EMDR & ERP therapies address different aspects and therefore are uniquely useful modalities. I started with emdr, took a break to focus specifically on intensive OCD treatment (previous insuror wouldnt cover both simultaneously) and now am optimistically scheduled in January for EMDR session 1x/wk inbetween 2x/wk NOCD/ERP sessions having gained approval from provider's & ins. co. Going untreated or getting standard talk therapy provoked & prolonged the grip of trauma recall. ERP is showing me I can handle the distress levels of traumatic thoughts or memories, real or distorted, and release the grip. (rumination, etc.) EMDR is helping reframe guilt or shame associations. Together I'm empowered to limit the apprehension & actual impact of inevitable triggers while going about my life. I think it's worth trying both.
I probably should have prefaced that I "prepped" for EMDR by starting with a gentler process called DNMS geared toward those with C-PTSD. The C technically representing Chronic, tho often, could easily stand for Childhood. This DNMS (developmental needs meeting strategy) addresses the "C" modifier usually defined as neglect induced &/or buildup of recurring (relentless) smaller-trauma exposure staring from an early age. Since DNMR is likely outside the scope of NOCD's multitude of offerings, I'll leave it at that.
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond
