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EMDR is fantastic for PTSD and helps with some C-PTSD, but for a lot of people with C-PTSD, it only retraumatises, and a lot of EMDR practitioners seem unaware

EMDR is fantastic for PTSD and helps with some C-PTSD, but for a lot of people with C-PTSD, it only retraumatises, and a lot of EMDR practitioners seem unaware of this. Internal family systems can be a better choice for C-PTSD sufferers.

haswell 4y ago
I’m firmly in the “retraumatizes” camp. EMDR felt like magic when dealing with the aftermath of a car accident, but sent me into a tailspin for any subject even tangentially related to my past. YMMV.
theGnuMe 4y ago
Weird. That sounds rare.
- haswell 4y ago
  Not as rare as you might think. EMDR is not widely accepted or recommended as treatment for persistent/long term complex trauma, when it is, such treatments are modified to fit a broader treatment regimen. Even then, it continues to be a controversial form of treatment for trauma. This isn’t to say that people should not consider EMDR, but if they do, don’t just seek out an EMDR practitioner and expect a quick fix, but ensure the practitioner is trauma-aware and skilled in adapting treatment to the specific needs of patients with trauma histories, and it’s part of a broader treatment plan.
  - theGnuMe 4y ago
    EMDR is well accepted and not controversial. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/docs/mhp_veterans_effective_tx.pdf https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/docs/mhp_veterans...
    - ghusbands 4y ago
      You're confusing CPTSD and PTSD. Your link talks about EMDR for PTSD, not CPTSD. The post you're replying to is talking about CPTSD. They can be quite different.
    - haswell 4y ago
      As the sibling pointed out, C-PTSD and PTSD are not the same thing. When EMDR is incorporated for C-PTSD, there are some aspects that are modified based on the trauma history, and some cases where EMDR cannot be attempted until dissociation issues have been addressed. It is this need for modification and the prerequisite work (sometimes the long/hard kind of work) that makes it less clear-cut as a treatment for this form of trauma. The EMDR practitioner I worked with made me aware of this as did my regular therapist, and most C-PTSD-aware EMDR info you can find online will also explain this distinction and the necessary modifications/prerequisites.

haswell 4y ago

I’m firmly in the “retraumatizes” camp. EMDR felt like magic when dealing with the aftermath of a car accident, but sent me into a tailspin for any subject even tangentially related to my past. YMMV.

theGnuMe 4y ago

Weird. That sounds rare.

haswell 4y ago
Not as rare as you might think. EMDR is not widely accepted or recommended as treatment for persistent/long term complex trauma, when it is, such treatments are modified to fit a broader treatment regimen. Even then, it continues to be a controversial form of treatment for trauma. This isn’t to say that people should not consider EMDR, but if they do, don’t just seek out an EMDR practitioner and expect a quick fix, but ensure the practitioner is trauma-aware and skilled in adapting treatment to the specific needs of patients with trauma histories, and it’s part of a broader treatment plan.
- theGnuMe 4y ago
  EMDR is well accepted and not controversial. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/docs/mhp_veterans_effective_tx.pdf https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/docs/mhp_veterans...
  - ghusbands 4y ago
    You're confusing CPTSD and PTSD. Your link talks about EMDR for PTSD, not CPTSD. The post you're replying to is talking about CPTSD. They can be quite different.
  - haswell 4y ago
    As the sibling pointed out, C-PTSD and PTSD are not the same thing. When EMDR is incorporated for C-PTSD, there are some aspects that are modified based on the trauma history, and some cases where EMDR cannot be attempted until dissociation issues have been addressed. It is this need for modification and the prerequisite work (sometimes the long/hard kind of work) that makes it less clear-cut as a treatment for this form of trauma. The EMDR practitioner I worked with made me aware of this as did my regular therapist, and most C-PTSD-aware EMDR info you can find online will also explain this distinction and the necessary modifications/prerequisites.