Has anyone had EMDR?

[BelAnna]

Hello,

I just wondered if anyone had had EMDR for a phobia, PTSD or OCD? I know that CBT is the NICE recommended treatment for OCD and is the treatment that OCDuk supports. I have had CBT on and off for 15 years. I am about to start EMDR with my Psychologist (who I have had CBT with for nine months) for my Emetophobia and have read that it is often very useful for treating PTSD and phobias. The majority of my 'contamination' theme of my OCD is based on my specific phobia of vomiting so I'm really hoping that this helps!

 

[OB1]

Hi BelAnna

Not bumping my previous thread but I was offered this for my PTSD symptoms in relation to a fear of being physically assaulted, I'm still wondering if it will be beneficial as I opted to focus more on CBT/OCD and was very apprehensive about it too as my therapist had only just trained in it and is also not a psychologist either. 

I have a feeling we may have something in common in that one of our themes is hindered by something else in recovery?  I'm not saying it is, just wondering in my case. 

I wish there was some clearer guidance on this, i.e is it best to tackle the PTSD before OCD, at the same time or are they one and the same etc.  I've also had CBT on and off for over a similar period too, although on the face of it I'm a "functioning person" I'm still struggling especially with this particular fear which makes sleeping difficult.   

Would really like to know if you feel it helps you so if you can give some updates that would be amazing.

Thanks

 

 

[kaheath80]

I’m about to start it this week for my wasp phobia!

[cookiemonster]

I am due to have emdr for a few different areas around fear of abandonment, feelings of not being good enough and surrounding my childhood. 

[taurean]

I had it alongside CBT. 

My psychologist and I were hoping it might break the Brainlock that kept my OCD intrusions constantly-repeating in an episode. 

It didn't work for that. Eventually I discovered other ways to do that. 

Edited September 25, 2018 by taurean

[Ashley]

EMDR seems to be the flavour of the month for OCD treatment (mindfulness must be out). I am not sure the evidence is there for OCD, but I don't see any harm in giving it a try and seeing how you  get on. I hopeit helps BelAnna

[Dragonfly]

I had EMDR alongside CBT. My understanding was it wasn’t necessarily to treat the OCD alone, it was more to help deal with certain things from childhood that could be impacting on my OCD, and change the thought process. 

I did find it beneficial, though I don’t see how it can be used alone to tackle OCD. I feel you definitely need CBT too. 

Hope it helps BelAnna x

Edited September 25, 2018 by Dragonfly

[OB1]

10 hours ago, Dragonfly said:

I had EMDR alongside CBT. My understanding was it wasn’t necessarily to treat the OCD alone, it was more to help deal with certain things from childhood that could be impacting on my OCD, and change the thought process. 

I did find it beneficial, though I don’t see how it can be used alone to tackle OCD. I feel you definitely need CBT too. 

Hope it helps BelAnna x

That's encouraging to hear Yep my understanding was it's not for OCD but for addressing some entwined issues.

Did you have it alongside OCD treatment, i.e did it come up whilst being treated for OCD as something that could help you?

Cheers   

[BelAnna]

Thanks everyone!

Dragonfly- that's great and that makes sense that it is more about early experiences etc. Hopefully my phobia is specific enough that EMDR might be appropriate for it!

Kaheath and Cookiemonster, maybe we could use this thread to discuss our experiences of EMDR for the next couple of months?

Taurean- sorry to hear it wasn't so helpful for your OCD. I wonder if perhaps it's more effective for phobias and PTSD than for OCD; it's just that 90% of my contamination OCD is centred on my phobia of vomit (i.e. contracting infections that lead to vomiting). I'm not sure whether EMDR would make any difference to other aspects of my OCD.

Thanks Ashley, at least I will be using it alongside CBT so will see how it goes! 

Edited September 26, 2018 by BelAnna

[BelAnna]

Oh sorry and thanks Ob1, I think you're right that for each of us something else is hindering recovery. I will let you know how the EMDR goes!

In some respects if your PTSD is setting your anxiety level consistently high then it would perhaps make sense to deal with the PTSD as a way of reducing overall anxiety before dealing with the OCD again?

Edited September 26, 2018 by BelAnna

[taurean]

It will be interesting to see how you get on. 

The various concepts we can use, like EMDR, The Four Steps, Meditation, Mindfulness can help perhaps in OCD - but the core treatment to disarm OCD and remove the unwanted triggers is always going to be CBT. 

It isn't a concept Ashley favours, I don't think, but mindfulness has become an important part of my own mental health and wellbeing armoury. 

I think this is because when we enter the mindful state, we shift away from problem-solving mental mode, where our mind won't be happy until we have "solved" an intrusive thought, and into a peaceful mental frame of mind, where our focus is solely in the present, in the moment - and what is around us is experienced more deeply, in "technicolour"  more sensuously. 

In such a mental mode OCD has little chance of intruding.

My therapist and I had a very specific intent for the purpose of the EMDR - and it didn't work for that - but mindfulness and love kindness meditation did work for my problem, breaking the constant loop of repetitive thinking that had been plaguing me. 

 

Edited September 26, 2018 by taurean

[Dragonfly]

15 hours ago, OB1 said:

That's encouraging to hear Yep my understanding was it's not for OCD but for addressing some entwined issues.

Did you have it alongside OCD treatment, i.e did it come up whilst being treated for OCD as something that could help you?

Cheers   

I had it with two different therapists, alongside CBT. The first time it didn’t do anything for me, but that therapist stuck to her times rigidly, and I do believe I wasn’t in the right place mentally for EMDR (I had terrible Health OCD and quite a few OCD themes at that point so was quite poorly), and the session should have been longer so I could compose myself afterwards. Instead the session finished and I’d be leaving very quickly, so my anxiety was quite high still. 

The second time I had it with a far more experienced therapist, alongside CBT, and we discussed when I felt ready. She added twenty minutes to the session too, without me asking. She firmly believed events from my past were contributing to my checking OCD, and so advised to try EMDR again. I’m pleased I did. 

[OB1]

8 hours ago, Dragonfly said:

I had it with two different therapists, alongside CBT.

The second time I had it with a far more experienced therapist, alongside CBT, and we discussed when I felt ready. She added twenty minutes to the session too, without me asking. She firmly believed events from my past were contributing to my checking OCD, and so advised to try EMDR again. I’m pleased I did. 

Thanks Dragonfly, just reinforces my own thoughts about therapists.  I have had a lot of physio/chiro over the years and they can vary quite a lot, I think a CBT therapist is no different.  I think I'm going to give it a try and go from there.  It's to address PTSD from being physically assaulted as a teenager.

I wish we could share who all the good therapists are and where they are as it's just pot luck!

[OB1]

20 hours ago, BelAnna said:

Oh sorry and thanks Ob1, I think you're right that for each of us something else is hindering recovery. I will let you know how the EMDR goes!

In some respects if your PTSD is setting your anxiety level consistently high then it would perhaps make sense to deal with the PTSD as a way of reducing overall anxiety before dealing with the OCD again?

No problem BelAnna.  In answer to your question, this is where I think there is a lack of information about what is treated first, I would have thought a psychologist would be the qualified person to make a call on something like this not a CBT therapist (as in my case).  It all seems a bit hap hazard in my experience unless anyone knows more than me?

Looking forward to hearing how it goes for you  

[taurean]

4 minutes ago, OB1 said:

No problem BelAnna.  In answer to your question, this is where I think there is a lack of information about what is treated first, I would have thought a psychologist would be the qualified person to make a call on something like this not a CBT therapist (as in my case).  It all seems a bit hap hazard in my experience unless anyone knows more than me?

Looking forward to hearing how it goes for you  

A clinical psychologist is likely to be best for CBT for OCD, if they have personal experience of tackling OCD using it. 

A clinical psychologist will use CBT for a range of other anxiety issues too. 

A counsellor may use CBT but won't have had the training of a qualified clinical psychologist. 

[OB1]

12 minutes ago, taurean said:

A clinical psychologist is likely to be best for CBT for OCD, if they have personal experience of tackling OCD using it. 

Thanks.  Surely this is where all OCD should be treated?  I'm learning all the time!

[legalseagull]

Hi, I would say my OCD is also about 90% vomit fear related. I had emdr with CBT several years ago. It didn't really work for me. That's not to say it won't be a success for you. It's definitely worth a go.

[Em00]

I had about three sessions of emdr that I never finished due to becoming quite emotionally unwell, don't know if it was related to the emdr. I never had anymore and didn't find what I did have helped. My situation was quite complicated at the time.