Discussion
I've had EMDR therapy. I found it very helpful, although there are negatives that go with the treatment too. After the first session I felt immensely free and as if the world was a brighter place, but within a few hours I had other traumatic memories come into my head. As you shift certain images with the EMDR it potentially leaves space in the frontal cortex of your brain for other experiences to come through. It took me four out of six sessions before I felt a more permanent sense of closure and mind space.
Feel free to PM me if you want any further advice, there's only so much information I want to put out on a public forum!
Feel free to PM me if you want any further advice, there's only so much information I want to put out on a public forum!
Sorry for the delayed reply, anyway, here goes...
I was treated with EMDR for Post Traumatic Stress, as a result of a work related incident (a drowned kid I tried to resuscitate - unsuccessfully). To be honest, that was just the straw that broke the camel's back. At that point, I had about 15 years service in the Police, had worked in uniform and CID and also done a stint on traffic. As you can imagine, I've seen quite a few dead bodies, some looking like they'd just fallen asleep peacefully, others nothing more than a 250 metre red smear along the road. Suicides, murder victims, you name it, I've seen it. Add to that the general stress of shift work, occasional personal danger, periods of utter boredom. And then there's "me" - older parents who didn't ever talk about "feelings", repressed Catholic upbringing, being "emotionally autistic", being in a "macho" job where people didn't generally acknowledge stress, let alone talk about it... Something of a perfect storm. Oh, and separating from my wife, my best mate getting cancer and my dog being put to sleep, all within a month, weren't exactly helping either. During my treatment I came close to being sectioned a couple of times.
Anyway, a couple of years ago I had a full on meltdown after an unsuccessful suicide attempt. I was referred to the mental health crisis team and in turn the complex care team and a specialist trauma service. I had EMDR with a clinical psychologist. My initial diagnosis "score" was 84 out of 100 from the US Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (basically a way of categorising mental health issues and their various symptoms). So I was at the top end for my diagnosis. I started treatment with the psychologist in August 2013 and she anticipated I'd be discharged sometime in the new year of 2014... I was actually discharged in November last year.
I had weekly EMDR sessions with a light bar. To begin with, they left me utterly drained, mentally and physically - to the extent I had to be physically helped downstairs after each session, then I had to have a good half an hour to recover so I could drive. I also had ongoing support from the mental health crisis and home care teams. The EMDR sessions were very hard work. I was forced to relive, over and over, my attempts to rescue the kid. I had full sensory recall - I could smell the chlorine from the swimming pool, taste his vomit in my mouth, feel his cold wet body. Not pleasant. However, there were a number of definite breakthroughs, so I'd describe the treatment not as a straight line, but more stepped/curved. Some weeks there was great progress, some weeks it felt like regression. There were two or three occasions I seriously considered walking away from the treatment but fortunately, with the support of the psychologist, I stuck with it.
I also have a DVD of a couple of my treatment sessions, taken (with my consent) for the psychologis's clinical supervision. The sessions are quite shocking to watch and I've showed it to a couple of friends. It reduced them both to tears. I still think about the drowned kid, but I can do so now without the baggage. I'm sleeping much better, I don't have nightly nightmares or daily flashbacks. I'm back at work full time and functioning as an effective detective again. However, my memory and concentration are still only about 70% of what they used to be.
If there's anything else you want to know, please ask. EMDR is bloody hard work, but in my opinion, utterly worth it. I was always very sceptical of "alternative" therapies, but having had EMDR, I'm something of an evangelist. I also meditate now... No, really! I'm still on medication and will be for the next couple of years at least. I have six-weekly reviews with a psychiatrist and again, these will be ongoing for the next couple of years or so.
I was treated with EMDR for Post Traumatic Stress, as a result of a work related incident (a drowned kid I tried to resuscitate - unsuccessfully). To be honest, that was just the straw that broke the camel's back. At that point, I had about 15 years service in the Police, had worked in uniform and CID and also done a stint on traffic. As you can imagine, I've seen quite a few dead bodies, some looking like they'd just fallen asleep peacefully, others nothing more than a 250 metre red smear along the road. Suicides, murder victims, you name it, I've seen it. Add to that the general stress of shift work, occasional personal danger, periods of utter boredom. And then there's "me" - older parents who didn't ever talk about "feelings", repressed Catholic upbringing, being "emotionally autistic", being in a "macho" job where people didn't generally acknowledge stress, let alone talk about it... Something of a perfect storm. Oh, and separating from my wife, my best mate getting cancer and my dog being put to sleep, all within a month, weren't exactly helping either. During my treatment I came close to being sectioned a couple of times.
Anyway, a couple of years ago I had a full on meltdown after an unsuccessful suicide attempt. I was referred to the mental health crisis team and in turn the complex care team and a specialist trauma service. I had EMDR with a clinical psychologist. My initial diagnosis "score" was 84 out of 100 from the US Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (basically a way of categorising mental health issues and their various symptoms). So I was at the top end for my diagnosis. I started treatment with the psychologist in August 2013 and she anticipated I'd be discharged sometime in the new year of 2014... I was actually discharged in November last year.
I had weekly EMDR sessions with a light bar. To begin with, they left me utterly drained, mentally and physically - to the extent I had to be physically helped downstairs after each session, then I had to have a good half an hour to recover so I could drive. I also had ongoing support from the mental health crisis and home care teams. The EMDR sessions were very hard work. I was forced to relive, over and over, my attempts to rescue the kid. I had full sensory recall - I could smell the chlorine from the swimming pool, taste his vomit in my mouth, feel his cold wet body. Not pleasant. However, there were a number of definite breakthroughs, so I'd describe the treatment not as a straight line, but more stepped/curved. Some weeks there was great progress, some weeks it felt like regression. There were two or three occasions I seriously considered walking away from the treatment but fortunately, with the support of the psychologist, I stuck with it.
I also have a DVD of a couple of my treatment sessions, taken (with my consent) for the psychologis's clinical supervision. The sessions are quite shocking to watch and I've showed it to a couple of friends. It reduced them both to tears. I still think about the drowned kid, but I can do so now without the baggage. I'm sleeping much better, I don't have nightly nightmares or daily flashbacks. I'm back at work full time and functioning as an effective detective again. However, my memory and concentration are still only about 70% of what they used to be.
If there's anything else you want to know, please ask. EMDR is bloody hard work, but in my opinion, utterly worth it. I was always very sceptical of "alternative" therapies, but having had EMDR, I'm something of an evangelist. I also meditate now... No, really! I'm still on medication and will be for the next couple of years at least. I have six-weekly reviews with a psychiatrist and again, these will be ongoing for the next couple of years or so.
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