EMDR pt. 3

Hi coaches! Your response back then was very helpful, thank you! I didn’t end up doing EMDR therapy, but found another trauma related therapist instead. I am ready take what I have learned and move on from them now and have decided to do EMDR going forward.
I have already communicated this to my therapist but have not yet reached out to any EMDR specialists yet.

I think what’s stopping me is the unknown of how my mind and body are going to react to this new form of therapy. When I initially started trauma therapy I had flashbacks, that were apparently unusual in their timing as well as their intensity. I wasn’t prepared for this at all. I am worried that something similar is going to happen again and that I will not be able to handle it.

Another thing is that I think with EMDR I am making it too easy for myself. I would not be working through my stuff in the same way as before and it feels like I am cheating. I am noticing a lot of black and white thinking here and I find it hard to shake it off. Thanks for your help.

Answer:

Oh this is such great self-awareness! I’d like to offer you an idea – the concept that EMDR making healing from trauma easy is a shitty first draft of a thought about trying a different healing modality. It’s your brain handing the mic to the loudest, biggest, scariest voice in the crowd…but it’s not the only voice. What are some other ideas about using EMDR that could also be true? What might someone else in your exact position also think about using EMDR?

Of course your brain is bucking – you are trying a new approach. Our brains don’t like change. If this was your brain trying to protect you, how would the version of you that genuinely is caring for your wellbeing now and in the future get to respond?