To my understanding what the EMDR does is help keep the person in the present moment so not to get so overwhelmed by a memory, repressed or not, that there is a flashback that gets to be disorienting. And it does help some people to work through the thoughts and emotions associated with the memory so the person can gain perspective and heal and recover, instead of being 'victimized' all over again by the memory/flashback getting out of control.

I am having repressed memories and I had a lot of lost moments I remember moments. and nothing else. I did weird things or just being somewhere. I remember trauma, but not the abuse and the hard stuff. I was drugged and shocked . Moments I thought they were my fault and that I was an evil person and kid and God was going to judge me if they found out. Tell me how this process goes. I think I have a handle on them. Just curious what it is like. I hope it goes well for you and lots of prayers to you! Having pstd because of my memories.

From what I have read here in the past EMDR can be real intense and requires guidance from very trusted therapist.

Some people have reported feeling purged, relieved, better, others just have said it was way too overwhelming. So there is a strong division of opinion about this technique.

I myself haven't done EMDR, am solidly in the CBT camp; but believe different approaches are suited for different folks - and mainly we want something that helps.

Best of luck with your therapy, and please understand it is an ongoing process.

I had EMDR for persistent, not repressed memories and flashbacks and it really reduced the dreams and flashes. Good luck!

yes, same as jadedsanity. it was for persistent, conscious memories not repressed ones.

it was good for me and helped keep me in the moment.

Some depends on the therapist and how much and fast you go. I have learned that I can share up to a certain extent and past that it gets overwhelming. Some therapists are pushier than others to make us talk about things. Now I know when I am enough past my comfort zone to just tell them I have to stop. It is necessary to kind of pace ourselves.

Both of the posts xa1nbowxR added here resonate with me. I was able to pace myself and still have flashbacks and process them without totally dissociating or falling apart so I could work again. I still have them at work but this therapy made them be more like having really bad heartburn than having a heart attack like they used to be.

Good luck.

She said we would take it slow... but that if i have repressed memories they may arise and can be shocking. I have been seeing another therapist for a year now with "talk Therapy" and while i think she is sweet, i dont feel as if ive gotten anywhere with her. I found this new one because of recent relationship problems and she works for the same non profit company. They are going to work together with me. but this new one does more than just talk. she seems to know whats going on and has a good understanding of PTSD. I really hope i get somewhere. Im very excited to see how this turns out. just any movement is good. im tired of running in circles, calling out for help only to become more and more disconnected and feel like im losing myself.

I heard they do all different kinds of things to help you to remember the most horrifying parts of your life. I will be undergoing EMDR in 34 more days. You see I am also arthritic and have to give up my main medication to go through this. I am 26 days clean from my medical marijuana. I use it for pain relief. I could use all the support I can get right now. The pain is unbearable at times but taking deep breaths is the only thing I could really do. I am working part time but It is still hard to get through a full 4 hour shift. I feel as if this is going to make me cry a ton and keep me from working even more.

I have both repressed memories as well as reoccurring memories that haunt me. I have to tell myself what I am doing, where I am and day of the week over and over again to wake myself up from my flash back. My meds have help with my panic attacks but I still get shooken up and shake a little.I cant wait to get ride of these haunting experiences. But what is it like? I heard they use all kinds of thing. Everything from headphone and lights to a simple finger.

What is a typical day like behind though doors?What work best for you and how did they go about helping you heal?