I have done EMDR a couple of times, with a couple of different therapists. I had limited results, but I also have DID, which would explain that. I found that a lot of my success (with any part of therapy, for that matter) depends a lot on how much and how well I can trust the therapist. Have you been seeing this one for a while? It takes some time to build up trust enough to do something as intense and intrusive as EMDR. I would hope your therapist understands that. If by chance, your therapist is trying to do this without a good solid working relationship first, you might want to think about getting another therapist.

I usually felt calmer afterwards, but I also know that I was shut-off from the really intense deep issues, and they were not accessable even with EMDR. (how the DID part works) If you are feeling upset afterwards, it sounds to me like you are starting to find out the feelings you are keeping locked away inside, but also, that EMDR might not be a good way for you to deal with it, if it is overwhelming you. By doing that, it can disrupt your daily life considerably. Have you been able to express to your therapist what you've just written here? What would happen if you copied your comment here, and read it to him/her?

I googled EMDR (quite a while ago now) and came across several different comments, some of them even stating that they had experienced seizures and/or similar symptoms, (also anxiety, like you are talking about). Remember, you are always in control of what goes on in therapy; if your therapist doesn't respect that, then it might be time to find another one. That was one thing I did like about EMDR, is I felt like i had a choice whether or not to talk about what came up for me. Is you therapist allowing you to do that, or guiding/pressuring you to continue when you start to resist? (when dealing with abuse issues, or anything that causes the axiety symptoms you are talking about, ANY therapist should know, that is time to back off, or it is likely to cause things to get worse, not better for you...if they do happen to press you (unless you've already established it's ok to do that) they are thinking about the RESULT they are trying to acheive, not your FEELINGS or ABILITY to deal with it.

Sorry for the intensity, as you might guess, I've had some (very) bad experiences from this kind of error on the part of the therapist. (not the ones I did EMDR with, though. I liked and respected both of them)

I agree with both of the above comments. I have done IPSRT, CBT, basic talk therapy, and one session of EMDR. EMDR is the only thing that has ever been able to help me make progress, but I will admit that I was incredibly upset and shaken afterwards.

I'm starting to toss around the idea of trying it again. Yesterday morning I went to the emergency room, and after extensive testing and doctor evaluations - all of them neurological in nature, not psychiatric - I was diagnosed with having pseudoseizures brought on by anxiety. The doctor didn't treat me the way I've read a great many people are treated, as though they are faking or malingering. He was very respectful, he prescribed me Xanax for the short-term, which gave me relief from my symptoms, and told me to follow up with my p-doc, my PCP, and if I was in any doubt, a neurologist. But I can't take Xanax all day every day for the rest of my life.

I've been dealing with some pretty severe PTSD, resulting from ECT last year. I've brushed it off and tried to ignore it, but it has become abundantly clear that I need to deal with the root causes of my PTSD, which is where the EMDR comes in.

Honestly, I really don't want to do it because it takes me out of control of myself. But I really trust my t-doc and I'm going to have to face down these demons eventually.

Please don't give up on the process of EMDR itself. If, as mentioned above, your therapist does not let you control the overall experience, then I think that you should find a new therapist. But the treatment itself has the potential to do amazing things. It won't be fun, but I really hope that in the end you find that the ultimate benefit is worth all you had to endure to get yourself there.

Good luck.

Caroline

I have done a fair bit of EMDR and I get what you are saying. My initial reaction is that

A) your therapist isn't a good fit with you

B) You are doing back to back sessions without having a chance to talk through and process what you experienced. Body memorries (for me at least) were the hardest to deal with.

I suggest you and your therapist try what mine had me do. We did 'relaxation" sessions with the pulsers without doing a true session. Positive visulization and so forth. It helped me not to be so freaked out.

Good luck. xx

It did EMDR. It was not easy.. at all. And I know my traumas may not be as intense as some that, sadly, others here may have lived through. It truly did work great for my PTSD and anxiety.

I would say, if you can, stick with it. Just take a break if you need to.