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I just moved (alone) into a 2 story, 1 bedroom apartment and I am actually afraid to go downstairs- residual effects of growing up in a house where I hid upstairs to avoid getting yelled at my whole life. Anyway this has prompted me to get a new therapist and I'm trying to chose between a few. One seems to be very into EMDR so I thought I would ask if anybody here has done it and if it helped? I would appreciate the input. Thanks!

I don't have a lot of experience with it, but my therapist has worked with me on "tapping", which is a form of EMDR, and I find it helps with anxiety and self-talk if I do it seriously and in a focused manner.  Couldn't hurt to try it!

Hi, congrats on seeking therapy!

I did try EMDR for a few sessions, the therapist I saw was new to it and she spoke with an accent that made it a tiny bit hard to understand her.  We used little vibrating pads because I am sensitive to light... .it was not working for me but I have thought about trying it with a different therapist, that one had been matched for my by my insurance.  Have you talked by phone with the therapists?  Do you have a Dr or clinic who can make a referral?  I finally found a therapist I like by asking around, my OBGYN gave me her info.

I did utilize EMDR with my t for a few sessions and I believe it did help with the anxiety that resulted from being in a traumatic r/so with a pBPD. There are some useful youtube videos on it as well!

I did seek a therapist who is trained in EMDR and did that therapy for about 6 months. I found it remarkably helpful and no longer experience PTSD reactions to former triggers. As others have mentioned, there are other ways besides eye movement to accomplish the bilateral stimulation necessary for the therapy, such as holding a vibrating device in each hand or having the therapist tap alternate knees.

A therapist can receive basic training without becoming certified in EMDR, so if it's important to you that your therapist has completed additional training and certification, you might consider using the "find a therapist" tool at emdria.org . That is where I found mine.

We also have some information here: EMDR and PTSD (https://bpdfamily.com/message_board/index.php?topic=37825.0) Hope that helps, lavalove. Let us know what you decide.

Wishing you peace,

PF

My T did some EMDR with me as well (for PTSD)... and it helped. Essentially it is intentionally induced disassociation... which if you are having PTSD symptoms can be very helpful, disconnects the triggers from the feelings and reactions.  For most the BPD r/s related issues... mindfulness was far more helpful... it stopped the ruminating and stressing out. Eventually radical acceptance came in to play and I felt like I made it past the BPD r/s.

Would have been easy to stop right there... but I am trying to work on my core issues... so still seeing a T, reading and working on things.

My BPDD did EMDR as well as brains potting and said she got more out of the brain spotting. I did EMDR for something horrific I had witnessed and it did seem to help a bit. I went from a 10 to about an 8. It's very emotionally wrenching as you are asked to relive the pain in your mind. Very difficult to do but has been shown to help recover from PTSD more quickly than convention therapy. Make sure your practitioner is trained in it and trained well.

My dBPDh has EMDR as part of his therapy to assist with trauma. He believes that it works and that he feels considerably less triggered by the target of the EMDR. As an observer, I notice the same. He can go into a session wired and come out smiling and calm. I also notice he is much less easily triggered by the issue. His therapist uses EMDR as an adjuct technique to target trauma, has extensive training and experience in EMDR and as a psychologist, so I don't know if that makes a difference.