# Bullying Therapy Experiment (EMDR)



## Maslow (Dec 24, 2003)

I was reading about a therapy called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and it has been proven to be effective in cases of post traumatic stress syndrome. It may be good for people who were bullied when they were younger.

The way it works is you visualize the stress inducing event until your anxiety rises to an uncomfortable level. At this point, while still visualizing the event, move your eyes back and forth 20-30 times. Then recall the event again and repeat the eye movements. Gradually, the memory will become blurry and it's emotional content will fade. 

I've tried it and it does work. It could be just a placebo effect but hey -- if it works, that's all that matters!

I'm curious if other people will have success with it. Please try it and post your results.


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## lilly (Mar 22, 2006)

I read about this recently on a website about anxiety. Did you do it yourself or have a therapist - how would you know how to do it properly without a therapist - eg there may be a certain way to move your eyes and also I didn't realise it had to be related to a bullying incident.


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## Maslow (Dec 24, 2003)

lilly said:


> I read about this recently on a website about anxiety. Did you do it yourself or have a therapist - how would you know how to do it properly without a therapist - eg there may be a certain way to move your eyes and also I didn't realise it had to be related to a bullying incident.


It doesn't have to be related to a bullying incident. That seems to be a fairly ubiquitous problem for people with SAD and it seems like this treatment would fit pretty well for that kind of problem.

I just did it on my own without a therapist after reading about it. It's fairly simple; you just visualize the unpleasant event and then, without moving your head, move your eyes back and forth. Your eyes will tend to go on an angle, upwards as you move them from left to right and downwards as you move them back from right to left. That's for right handed people. It would be opposite for left handed people.


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## lilly (Mar 22, 2006)

Thanks - I'll have to give it a try.


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## ColdFury (Nov 6, 2003)

I did it with my psychologist 5 years ago. I thought it was a bit silly and didn't find any benefit on it, and we'd spend hours a week on it.


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## Caedmon (Dec 14, 2003)

I tried it very recently but could not concentrate on the moving light and visualize at the same time; I simply felt too uncomfortable or distracted. Perhaps another day.


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## Maslow (Dec 24, 2003)

ColdFury said:


> I did it with my psychologist 5 years ago. I thought it was a bit silly and didn't find any benefit on it, and we'd spend hours a week on it.


It is a bit silly and I'm thinking, that may be one reason it works. When you recall an upsetting event and simultaneously do something silly, that would tend to diffuse the negative emotional content of the memory. Like all explanations of EMDR, though, that's pure conjecture on my part.

Caedmon- Did a therapist have you follow a moving light? Just for the hell of it, try it on your own (if you want to) without the moving light (just moving your eyes back and forth). It might be easier to concentrate that way. I've had some pretty good success with EMDR for diffusing my obsessive ruminations.


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## Your Lover Scrub Ducky (Jul 26, 2004)

Interesting...I'll have to give it a try.

I'm guessing you'd have to imagine an upsetting event specifically caused by SA in order to lessen the anxiety? Or can it be any event?

Thanks.


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## Caedmon (Dec 14, 2003)

Yeah it was with a therapist. I've tried it on my own but I always felt silly; I would try it again except I am not sure if I would do it right.


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## itchynscratchy (Apr 8, 2006)

the_bull said:


> ColdFury said:
> 
> 
> > I did it with my psychologist 5 years ago. I thought it was a bit silly and didn't find any benefit on it, and we'd spend hours a week on it.
> ...


I talked with my therapist about it today, and I'm going to give it a try. My therapist is considered an expert in my area, and she has even used it herself to deal with issues she's had. From what I read, the eye movements and other stimuli are used while recalling images to stimulate areas of the brain. I'll let ya'll know how I do after my first session.


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## whiteclouds (Mar 18, 2004)

That sounds interesting. I can't test the theory though, because I don't have a past event that traumatizes me. But I moved my eyes back and forth several times and my eyes get sore doing that.


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## tired_tool (Sep 6, 2005)

Hmmmm...will definately try it, whats to lose. But the stressfull event that I visualize, does it have to be a real life event or can it be something I imagine. Like my paper presentations in class haven't caused too much of stress but imagining a presentation without a benzo 'high' really makes me go bonkers. Do I make sense here?


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## Maslow (Dec 24, 2003)

tired_tool said:


> Hmmmm...will definately try it, whats to lose. But the stressfull event that I visualize, does it have to be a real life event or can it be something I imagine. Like my paper presentations in class haven't caused too much of stress but imagining a presentation without a benzo 'high' really makes me go bonkers. Do I make sense here?


Thought diffusing techniques would probably work better for imagined stressful situations. As soon as you start imagining the stressful situation, instead of processing the thoughts, just observe them and label them. Simply tell yourself, "There I go again imagining a stressful situation." It will effectively diffuse the ruminations until they no longer contain the emotional component.


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