EMDR

[CAH_05]

Has anyone had this treatment for OCD? 
 

ive has the same theme now for 8 years or so and just keep relapsing so my CBT therapist has suggested EMDR.

just want to add that she is a very good therapist and knows a lot about intrusive thoughts and OCD and never gives me any reassurance. She doesn’t comment on the theme of the OCD at all (suicide) just treats it like any other theme of intrusive thoughts. She has worked in the mental health field for a long time and seems very experienced.

[taurean]

Hi 

Go to the search field top right. 

Put in EMDR 

refine the search to topics, and titles only. 

Hit search and view the results. 

[CAH_05]

Thank you for your reply. I have done this and there doesn’t seem to be many that have had this treatment or who have wrote about whether it works for OCD 

[malina]

I don't think I fully understand what EMDR involves but from reading up about it very briefly, it does seem to be based on ERP and there is some empirical evidence that it helps people with OCD. It just seems to be quite a novel method and that's probably why not many people have been doing that. Did she explain what it would involve?

[taurean]

Here is what I had, then called REMD rapid eye movement desensitisation.

My  therapist asked me  to focus on the the trigger thought and not fight it, let it in as per ERP.

Then after a little while she placed her finger in front of my eyes and asked me to keep holding the intrusive thought, but also follow  her finger.

She then began rapidly  moving her finger from side to side such that I had to work very hard to keep following the finger with my eyes and did this for a while. 

This would challenge the focus on the intrusion, give the brain something extra to think about and the idea is that it desensitises the thought. 

My view. Another therapy tool, and depending on how powerful and how frequent the intrusions are, and the response of the individual, it may help.   In my view, the more therapy tools we have in our toolbox the more options we have.   

[CAH_05]

That’s helpful thank you. 
 

I am just terrified it’s going g to change something in my brain and make me worse.

i am also thinking what if my therapist is thinking there’s no hope for me through CBT as I have had it before. Relapsed Quite severely 3 times since last CBT 6 years ago. 

[CAH_05]

I also feel quite depressed at the moment and it’s one of my biggest fears. 
my compulsions have come back tenfold the last few days.

i was doing a lot better last 2 weeks and this week have gone back to square 1.

[taurean]

is is one of the problems when a relapse occurs. It can get out of hand. 

The EMDR is a simple process it will either be beneficial or not. go into it prepared to have a few sessions and believe it might help. Nothing works if we go into it doubting it. 

I don't think we  actually go back to square 1 - we don't lose the work previously done - something just dominates our focus and we respond with , as we know of course, unhelpful compulsions. 

Carrying out compulsions makes things worse . So focus in giving the EMDR a good chance, one session won't do it,  and chip away at those compulsions. 

[malina]

51 minutes ago, CAH_05 said:

That’s helpful thank you. 
 

I am just terrified it’s going g to change something in my brain and make me worse.

i am also thinking what if my therapist is thinking there’s no hope for me through CBT as I have had it before. Relapsed Quite severely 3 times since last CBT 6 years ago. 

This is exactly what I have been worried about with ERP,  especially because I've been doing some really difficult things lately. I was so scared that if I allowed myself to engage in these exposures that they would make me more likely to hurt myself. However, one month after doing that particular exposure I am so much better, my intrusive thoughts have gone down so much. 

I think what helped was that I forced myself to change my thinking, to accept the possibility that it may make things worse but to take the risk regardless. I worked hard every day not to allow myself to sink into rumination and worry about the exposure. Instead I was saying that I am trying something that will make me better. And after a few days of this, I was better and then continued to feel better and have done the exposure again since and have been fine. 

EMDR sounds like a slightly less intense version of ERP and may be a good start for you. I think that you should give it a go and be ready to challenge yourself and face up to these fears. 

[CAH_05]

Thank you for your encouragement. 
 

I am struggling to master up the courage to do exposures. It feels too dangerous. I know it’s not and I know that’s what I need to do to get on the right track towards recovery again. My thoughts urges and feelings go insane when I stop compulsions. 
 

I am doing a big exposure tonight and staying at home alone and I am trying to stay off line and off of google. So far I have had small success but I’m gna take another hour off now and do a little bit of housework.

[taurean]

It isn't too dangerous to do exposures. It feels like it, especially with harm themes. 

But if we don't do the exposure and response prevention we won't improve to a state of management or better - rather we will worsen. 

The real-life story of Aviator Howard Hughes is a case in point. By believing everything his OCD said and not challenging fighting reducing compulsions Howard slipped from being a powerful entrepreneur to a confined at home recluse totally consumed by contamination fears. 

It's not unusual to have obsessions of throwing oneself off bridges and heights, jumping out of a moving car, and such things. I have experiences of the first. 

I am wondering if the reason you haven't progressed is because you haven't challenged the OCD core belief - your fears of committing suicide in some way - with full exposure and response prevention sessions. 

Until you are able to successfully work through and beyond correct exposure and response prevention you will stay stuck. 

What is worse. The short term fear and anxiety from facing the anxiety through some sessions of ERP, and discovering the anxiety falling off? Or carrying on with the fear and threat belief, resulting in continuing distress and anxiety? 

 

Edited December 6, 2019 by taurean

[CAH_05]

It started off as the thoughts of impulsively jumping of buildings and such. That was about 10 years ago and I also had harm thoughts towards others.

this has progressed now into a huge fear of depression and being suicidal. It’s no longer the random thoughts and images it’s constantly trying to figure out if I am suicidal and if I am going to hang myself by choice. It’s tormenting and torturous. 
 

I am obsessing now about doing therapy correctly and about how many times I have relapsed and will I just continue to keep getting stuck, all related to my fear of being suicidal.