EMDR
EMDR has been an incredibly hard experience. It isn’t for the faint of hearted. However I can say that I have experienced positive results and it is worth it.
The hard thing about EMDR is the effects it can have on you for the rest of the day. I often found myself very tired and emotionally spent after a session and would often spontaneously cry during the day. Sometimes I would feel very grumpy and often would experience low moods. This is because during a session your brain is working a million miles per hour and memories are unlocked. At the end of a session you are always guided to your safe place so I never left a session feeling unnerved or unsafe, just exhausted mentally and sometimes physically.
It has also been one of the most powerful experiences of my life. Because of the nature of EMDR you have no control over what appears in your mind. And so ideas and thoughts can swarm your mind but by breathing through and talking it out with your therapist it’s incredibly healing. I can’t quite describe how powerful it can be but it unlocks the piles of junk that can be stored in your head from past traumas and helps you decipher things more clearly.
EMDR is a long process. It isn’t something that is over in a session or two. Each person is different and so it can take up from 5 to 10 sessions (or even more) depending on who you are and what target memory you are dealing with. But if you stick with it and start to see you don’t react the way you use to (for a particular memory) then it is all worth it.
I have felt completely safe when doing EMDR with Jodie. She guides and safeguards my memories and sessions so that you feel like you have control over what you need and how far you can go. As there is an element of having no control over the process of EMDR she has made me feel safe, secure and held. I want to continue tackling my past traumas with EMDR and recommend it to anyone who is thinking of doing it.