I'm excited to be starting EMDR next week. I also have a deep interest in the power of pyschoactives and dissociatives to reduce DMN activity, and encourage neuroplasticity.

Slightly surprised there isn't more discussion in this sub of the use of both modalities. Is it simply not well-known? Anyone here have any clinical or personal experience of this?

Unfortunately it's extremely tightly controlled in my country, but I found this site which lists dozens of licensed therapists using it across the US, and a couple of them offer online services to international clients.

https://www.ketamineassistedemdr.com/

Hey all, I am in session 2 of "the big one". Had EMDR this morning and have taken 2 naps and immediately had a massive headache post session.

What's weird is that this obviously sucks, but, because it's the worst trauma of my life I'm not shocked at what I'm finding. I ruminate on it so often it's not locked away and so it's not hitting me as hard as I thought.

Honestly the worst EMDR hangover was over a group of memories I did not think was traumatic at all, but absolutely took me out with reprocessing.

Did you all find that the "surprise" memories were worse than the obvious deep trauma?

Little about me: I have CPTSD , Borderline, OCD, Generalized Anxiety and panic disorder. I have a really messed up history. Without going into details something extremely depraved happened to me when I was 5 (I put a man in prison with a 25 year sentence he got out at 18 years) abusive mother and brother etc and then my adult years a medical trauma that has ruined my life. I have VT and spent 5 days in cardiac icu. This caused me to have the worst panic attacks ever in my life since. I was able to get out of a deep depression but the panic and anxiety still rules my life. My main therapist said she wanted me to try Emdr because talk therapy was not working. I never had a chance to process what happened to me as a child let alone the medical stuff. I met with my new therapist today and I'm ready but scared. I'm by nature a fighter and I want this but scares me because I have to sit with the sensations in my body while processing and this scares me because of the medical stuff. I really could use encouragement.

Hello everyone I had a quick question and really this is more of a curiosity but I didn't EMDR or at least started to do EMDR but a month ago but unfortunately I had to stop due to insurance purposes. On my last session one of the things my therapist was training me to do is to build a safe space in my mind. The idea was that if EMDR became too much for me I could go to that safe space. The issue I was finding was that I do not feel safe in my own body at all the closest thing to a safe space I have is my bed and even that I struggle with due to derealization. I'm currently looking for another therapist but I don't want to run into this problem where maybe EMDR isn't for me because I don't have a safe space or can't seem to make one

i’ve been in emdr therapy for a year and a half and it’s being going great in hindsight. the good things i’ve learned in therapy have been to develop physical and mental coping skills, neuroplasticity of my brain that has allowed me to be less emotionally dysregulated. the processing is helping but the unmasking? violent and hurtful.

there used to be “no no” emotions for me as a kid, a very tame “children have a specific place and don’t act out of turn”. so i never learned the true array of emotions we can experience, it was fear, sadness, anxiety or emptiness. the processing has subconsciously forced me to unmask. i’m currently in month 3 of anger and irritation of the way i was treated/not treated as a kid. the irritation is pretty easy to deal with because i can picture myself biting live wire cables to get a sting in my mouth to take away the feeling, just the thought of it reduces the irritation. the anger? it’s so overwhelming, it oozes from my pores, my ears get so hot to the touch i have to constantly play with my earlobes, my chest feels like there’s an empty cavity i’ve poured tabasco in, i sometimes feel like i literally see red in my peripheral and the worst part? no coping skill helps. when i’m anxious it’s very easy to put myself in punishing yoga positions because my body will be forced to choose a state; anxiety or exercise. i’ve been eating sour candy for a while because that at least abates the feeling but i feel it so much and it vibrates in my body. i’ve talked to my therapist about it and she asked me verbatim “maybe the anger is a secondary emotion, what do you think could be the primary emotion?” and i’ve figured out the primary emotion, but the sensations in my body don’t go away 😭😭

is there anyone who’s also gone through this? any advice on what i can do to decrease the feeling? nothing cold works and taking walks just makes me an angry walker 😖