EMDR - Has anyone done this

Yep you got it right @Former-Member 👍✔😁

It seems you have a lot of support around you and that is great. This mental health journey we are all on does not need to be done on our own and to hear all the things you have in place to help yourself is wonderful. Keep on the path you are on and utilise those supports you have and the sky is the limit.

I think that is a sentiment shared by many here @Former-Member - technology does have it's place in the world especially when places like this can exist for anyone to access.

You have a positive attitude @Former-Member and a lot of support around you - that is half the battle sometimes. You seem like telling your bro you remember what he did is important to you - and you are right - it is for him to deal with. Telling 'family' what damage they have done can certainly be cathartic and may even let you close the door a little on it all.

You seem like you have a clear direction on what you want to do and where you want to head ...and have support around you to do all that. It is a good position to be in as you begin EMDR.

It seems to me - in the very short space of time I have known you here - that you already have that inner strength @Former-Member What you choose to do or not do is entirely up to you and you will know the right time for you. That is super important - it has to be on your timeline and your terms and nobody else's. But I get the feeling you already know that and are making huge positive steps towards doing that.

It is difficult to stand up against the wrongs of our past but takes immense courage to do so also Hon. If that is what you decide to do then you will certainly have support here.

I am glad to hear you are not that person anymore - not becuse one is better than the other but because it shows growth and moving on for you and no-one else. We are all shaped by our past but it does not mean that that past needs to consume us. One of the hardest things we can do for ourselves is to recognise what has happened to us, understand the effect it has had on us and then move forward despite it - what doesn't break us makes us stronger hey!

Hi @Former-Member and welcome to the forums. @Zoe7 thanks a lot for tagging me here. I had a day off the forums yesterday so didn't see this conversation til just now.

@Former-Member I'm currently doing EMDR weekly and have been with the same psychologist for 2 years now. It took us over a year to do a trauma map of my life (as many sessions were taken up by current stuff and NDIS stuff). Now most sessions are EMDR about past events. I have complex PTSD and bipolar 1 and am 56 with a history of traumatic events throughout my life and dating back to when I was a child.

It sounds to me like you're in a really good place in your life to tackle the EMDR process and I wish you well with it. It's definitely working well for me. It's really important to have a 'safe space' to come back to at the end of a session. We do a couple of visualizations too. Yes the session itself is intense and does bring out more detailed memories, but overall I'm finding that out in the world I am less intensely triggered, can recognize that something was in the past and not get so stuck in my response to such triggers, and recover faster from being 'flooded' as my psychologist calls it. Having the weekend after your session for things to percolate and process is a really good idea.

There's a lot more I could write but have a few things I need to do this morning. I really relate to your posts and laud you for sharing so deeply. Take care, Eth

Hi there

Great to hear some feedback.

Ive given my timeline of events to this Psychologist so hes going to start immediately with the EMDR. Tho lots of prac with the safe place & calming my breathing. This psychologist is a lovely big gentle giant. I love his energy, very calming indeed. Hes helped a lot of ex service people here in tville & came highly recommended by a few sources so i feel im in good hands. I think im going to visualise as well as hear the piano or possibly a song ive written as my safe place. Music has really helped me stay alive so its possibly good for me to access that part in my brain to calm me. Ill visualise myself playing the piano & hear it. Im sure itll b intense however itll also be worth it in the longrun. Im just sick of being triggered off & i guess want to know my own neg self beliefs to help me see why my life went so bad. It really helped me writing my own memoirs so im sure this will too. Therapists in the past simply couldnt calm me down if id been triggered cause they didnt have any skills or techniques. I meditate with another guy & he goes to this guy. Says he never lets u leave traumatized. So thats great to know. Ill keep u updated with my progress. Im just very fortune that dva will pay for this cause theres many that couldnt afford it.