Hi Vernal. I'm glad you read my reply, because I don't want you to give up so soon!!

EMDR does work best for traumas past and present. I encourage you to do some
of your own research on the internet, as there are quite a lot of really good
websites as well as forums.

If you have suffered at least 2 events which severely traumatized you
there is a very good chance that they are affecting your present day circumstances..
To use myself as an example, I had 2-3 events in my early childhood that I honestly
thought I was over and done with. I really thought I was healed. The thing
with traumas is that because most of them can't be categorized as 'normal', they have a way of staying undigested.. the brain really doesn't know what to do with it..
And then because of that, you are vulnerable to things in the future that can trigger the same thoughts and emotions.. If your problems stem from your early childhood, EMDR WILL bring them up. Your belief that EMDR cannot access that type of trauma is false. That's actually the beauty of EMDR compared to EFT in that you don't need to have to recall everything and feel everything and find the right words to say and the right affirmations to say.. (I have had EFT done on my too)Now, don't get me wrong, I am not criticizing EFT in anyway, I think it does work.. But, I find that EMDR is faster, more effective and possibly less painful therapy.

From what I've read about your session, the opinion I have formed is that you had EFT done on you, primarily, with just a little bit of EMDR. For EMDR to be
effective, your eye has to move from very far left to very far right and then
back again without moving your head.. Like on the video you saw the part
where it shows the guy's eyes moving to the movement of the lights..? Is this what
you experienced? In any case, I feel you did not experience a true and complete EMDR session, and for sure not the light therapy which most psych's use today (you can also listen to sounds)If I were you I would go to your MD (unless you can find one on the internet or phone book) and ask to be referred to a registered psychologist or psychiatrist who is fully and completely trained & certified in EMDR. This is very important factor in getting results.

It is a very common thing for people to have addictions who have Post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, grief.. Did you lose someone close to you
recently in that you feel lonely and also grief? Your statement about feeling stuck
really struck me, because that is how I felt. I think that's a sign of a lot of unresolved stuff and unacknowledged feelings..

I wish you get better soon. You are a very special & valuable person or else God would not have made you ( : and you deserve to find a way out of this and find happiness.
Sometimes life is an interesting journey..it takes a while to find the right path..
I hope you find yours soon. For me, it took a loooong time so if I can help anyone
then I'm pretty happy.

Additionally, I'd just like to add that the use of Magnesium Oil may really help you - bathing/spraying.. Magnesium deficiency is a major cause of many disorders and diseases including the nervous system. You might want to do some research on that.. Here's a good article: http://www.globaltrade-eu.com/MgClbywalterlast.pdf


Take care

I have cut and pasted some info on EMDR below.


'EMDR is based on the Information Processing model of Psychotherapy, which focuses on how sensory information is registered, stored and retrieved in our nervous system. Our nervous system is regularly bombarded with trillions of bits of information that it needs to process. Included in this are what we call small 't' traumas and big 'T' traumas. An example of a small 't' trauma is being laughed at at school or reaching our hand out to a parent and being rejected. An example of a big 'T' trauma can be violence, rape, or reaching our hand out to a parent and being REPEATEDLY rejected. At the time of a traumatic event, strong emotions interfere with our ability to completely process the experience and one moment becomes “frozen in time.” Many times, the image of the trauma is lost from our daily awareness (especially with small 't' traumas) but our nervous system NEVER FORGETS!

These events get stuck in our nervous system in a state-dependent form (with the original sounds, sights, words, and mental maturity). This is why so often we are triggered, say by an argument with a partner, and our emotional reaction is similar to that of our previous child self.

When activated, these memories cause a negative impact on our daily functioning and interfere with the way we see ourselves, our world and how we relate to others. EMDR therapy appears to directly effect the brain, allowing the individual to resume normal functioning while no longer reliving the images, sounds, and feelings associated with the trauma. The memory is still there, but it is less upsetting.

Unlike many forms of talk therapy, an EMDR therapist helps clients by linking what was seen, felt, heard and believed at the time of the trauma with a unique, additional element: a pattern of rapid directional eye movements induced by the therapist waving one or two fingers back and forth in front of the client’s eyes. Typically this is done at a distance of 12” or more. There are other forms of dual processing, such as tactile sensations or audio processing. The client is gently guided to just notice what comes up without trying to control the content while processing the information until it is less and less disturbing. Overtime the disturbing memory and associated beliefs, feelings, sensations become “digested” or worked through until it is associated with a positive belief about the self. For example, “I am a failure” becomes “I can succeed.”

EMDR does not require the client to go into detail about the distressing events of the past. Unlike many “talk” therapies, there is no need to analyze the trauma for long periods of time. EMDR is a multi-faceted approach.The fact that it simultaneously works on mind, body, and emotions may account for its success in taking mere intellectual understanding of the origins of a problem (e.g. “I know I have guilt over killing in the war”) to a resolution where post-traumatic symptoms such as intrusive thoughts, nightmares, and anger outbursts clear up.

Research shows that EMDR is rapid, safe and effective. EMDR does not involve the use of drugs or hypnosis. It is a simple, non-invasive patient-therapist collaboration in which healing can happen effectively.The number of sessions needed is proportional to the amount of the difficulties experienced, but clients report it is more effective and efficient than the “talk therapy” they had previously experienced.
This powerful short-term therapy is highly effective for a wide range of disorders including chronic pain, phobias, depression, panic attacks, eating disorders and poor self-image, stress, worry, stage fright, performance anxiety, recovery from sexual abuse and traumatic incidents.

Many patients who have made slow progress in the past, or who have not benefited from more traditional therapies say that with EMDR they have finally found something that works for them!'