# Therapist suggested EMDR, any experiences with this?



## amyval81 (Aug 18, 2006)

Does anyone here have any experience with EMDR? My therapist started addressing some of my social anxieties at my last session, and since I told her I had been involved in Dale Carnegie before and I didn't feel like that had really helped me, she suggested we try EMDR. When she explained what it is (using a lot of technical stuff that mostly went over my head), it sounded very odd. Now that I've read about it online, I am really turned off. I am a fairly skeptical person, this sounds like bunk to me, and it also looks like there is a lot of controversy surrounding it. Should I just suck it up and try it, tell her I'm not interested, or maybe take this as a sign that she isn't the right therapist for me? Today was my 4th session and, while she has had a few good suggestions, I don't feel like I have made a lot of progress either. This is the first time I have been to see a therapist though, so I don't really know what to expect.


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## Becky (Nov 5, 2003)

From what I've read that other's have posted here it's just a crock of doo doo.


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## ColdFury (Nov 6, 2003)

I did it for a while. It didn't have any effect on me.


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## amyval81 (Aug 18, 2006)

Thanks for the responses. I've been contemplating whether to keep seeing this therapist or not, I think this is the breaking point for me.


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## FearNoMore (Mar 29, 2006)

When I was seeing a therapist he suggested EMDR. He had taken a class to learn all about it. I never tried it though. The therapist was helpful otherwise.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

never heard of it


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## limited (Apr 3, 2006)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMDR


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## amyval81 (Aug 18, 2006)

Yup, I've read the wikipedia article and also several skeptic articles about it. I'm hoping to hear (read) some personal experiences. I'm pretty much determined that it's a crock, I guess I just want validation that my opinion is valid


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## Maslow (Dec 24, 2003)

It could work if you believe it will work, like a placebo.


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## amyval81 (Aug 18, 2006)

Ya, the problem is I think it is BS so it's pretty much destined to fail even if there is some credibility to it


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## Vic (Aug 9, 2006)

Tried it...thought it was silly, to the point where I've avoided my therapist and psychiatrist (SSRI's didn't work either) and decided to help myself.

I now realize that I am the epitome of an introvert and some of the "symptoms" I had of SA are actually just strong characteristics of introversion. Plus, I looked into supplements like fish oils (omega 3 fatty acids), multi-vitamins, glutamine, DHEA, GABA, ect...I figure those natural supplements are much safter and probably more effective for me than SSRI.


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## ShyViolet (Nov 11, 2003)

I've done it. It's hard to explain my reaction to it. It's like I thought I was feeling better but then I wasn't. Maybe it is the placebo effect. I don't think it had much of a long term positive effect though, because I'm still in bad shape today. If anything it was just awkward because I would have to say what was going through my mind every about 30 seconds.

I wouldn't stop seeing this therapist just because she suggested it. Just tell her you're not interested. Does she otherwise seem like a good therapist? The therapist who did EMDR with me was actually said to be the best person in my area in terms of dealing with anxiety issues. 

Maybe you could try it for a day or two and see what you think. If you think it's crap then you can tell her you're not interested in continuing it.


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