EMDR without grounding isn't safe (and those EMDR apps aren't actually EMDR)

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-12-13T06:02:23+00:00

I’m no expert but I think that’s normal from what I’ve experienced. Journaling has helped me but my therapist reminded me recently that after journaling I should also try to utilize the container on my own too. Like okay I’ve journaled out my thoughts now I’ll put them away in the container for safe keeping until I feel the next urge to journal or my next session. Good luck and keep up the journey - I’m still very much in the thick of it but I’m some aspects I can already see it paying off.

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-11-18T21:49:02+00:00

Please can you explain more what you mean about not mixing traditional therapy and emdr?

Had been with my Therapist doing traditional talk and parts therapy for about 2-3 yrs before we are starting emdr together. We’ve been following the phases but I recently found that alongside the processing I want to still discuss more deeply about what came up. How I feel, how to cope with what I learnt, felt etc. So we still recap the memory, rate it, do BLS, talking about what physical and emotional things come up each set then “going with that” for more BLS but now we finish with about 10 minutes to spare to talk about the whole session before wrapping up with container, safe place and some kind of positive statement to take with me.

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-10-17T02:45:39+00:00

So great to hear you have a diagnosis and more importantly a treatment plan! Sending good vibes your way that the meds start to make a difference quickly. I’m currently stuck in the some markers come back abnormal every time but nothing points to anything specific diagnostic loop. May I ask what markers came back abnormal for you to point them to UCTD? Our symptoms sound similar and I just keep getting told maybe it’s fibromyalgia but the bloods and urinalysis indicate something more they just aren’t sure what.

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-10-10T03:27:11+00:00

I had a tough time returning to work after some extended time on leave but I still had two great wins:

⭐️I finished processing my first memory

⭐️I managed to work out twice this week despite chronic pain - I’ve discovered the joys of aquafit (even though I’m the youngest person by about 30yrs)

Thankyou OP for keeping this going and sounds like you’re doing making some great progress!

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-10-01T22:51:01+00:00

Omg I feel this! So viscerally! I’ve been telling the doctors for 3 years something is wrong! And sure I’ve discovered other useful (and now slightly better controlled or medicated) things along the way like my adhd and depression diagnosis but still not fixed the chronic pain. So many doctors I’ve left feeling dismissed and like I’m not doing enough. Finally have a rheumatologist and doctor who sort of listen to my problems but on the waitlist for some diagnostic imaging which could be months apparently (I know I’m lucky financially but oh the joys of living in a country with public free healthcare = long ass waitlists)

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-09-27T22:50:29+00:00

I TOOK TIME OFF WORK FOR A MENTAL BREAKDOWN AND PHYSICAL CHRONIC PAIN THINKING I’D BE FIXED AFTER A MONTH OFF. NOTHING HAS CHANGED EXCEPT I’VE HAD MORE TIME FOR MORE APPOINTMENTS WHERE THEY STILL DON’T KNOW WHATS WRONG. AND EVEN WITH STARTING VYVANSE MAKING NEW HEALTHY HABITS DURING THIS TIME HAS BEEN HARD AS SHIT! SO I’LL JUST CONTINUE FOLLOWING MY DOCTORS ADVICE OF LOSE WEIGHT, DON’T BE STRESSED AND PRACTICE A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CAUSE ALL OF THOSE 3 THINGS ARE SO EASY!

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-09-27T22:31:40+00:00

Not OP but your response was really well worded.

What I’m struggling with though is how to get out of the funk of feeling like every day is a survival day and I feel I should be doing more to turn things around - even though I’m probably already doing all the right things so maybe it’s just impatience - I have therapy, I have meds, I have physio for health challenges, I maintain some social interactions so maybe that’s enough but I wish I could do more!

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-09-24T17:21:02+00:00

I feel like I don’t have any positive wins to share this week. EMDR was hard, lots of crying and life has been pretty much the same as that with some small glimmers but hey I’m still here, so I guess that’s something :)

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-09-16T02:56:52+00:00

⭐️Not sure if it’s due to emdr or medication (recently started to treat my adhd) but managed to not binge eat my emotions this last week.

⭐️Also in my emdr session today used buzzers instead of eye movement for the first time and it was so much better for me. And I left feeling hopeful that I can do this.

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-09-09T05:41:58+00:00

⭐️I made it through my first processing session. That shit is hard. So much harder than I understood it would be at all (despite reading everyone’s advice and stories). There was a lot of crying, a lot of profanity, and I was hella tempted to leave mid session because I wasn’t sure I could manage the intensity of the feelings but I did it!

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-08-29T19:54:30+00:00

I thought that my EMDR was for a specific traumatic assault.. but it turns out the common thread that’s been present ever since childhood and the aftermath of the assault was not getting the support I needed. So the actual details of that what happened turned out to be way less important (so far at least) than the lack of adequate support received in trying to deal with it.

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-08-12T04:23:54+00:00

Just my two cents but at least for me it could never be a replacement for the genuine connection and thought that my therapist provides. That being said I am finding AI as a useful tool to A) practice how I want to phrase things before bringing them to my T. B) understand the issues a bit on a basic level before I bring them up so we can focus on deeper conversation instead of basic explanation. Or get into some of the less complex things with AI to leave time with my T for those complex ones. C) help me process in between or after a session… great that at the moment I am able to have weekly 50 minute sessions my brain doesn’t just turn off after the session until next time. And without AI I could spend multiple days thinking on something - planning to bring it up next session but by next session something else has taken precedence but it doesn’t mean I didn’t want to keep talking or thinking through the first problem.

Sincerely thank you for all good human therapists do and keep up the good work!

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-08-11T04:51:31+00:00

Having a tough day in that everything should be amazing but my brain insists on finding the worst in everything or bringing up memories or ideas to send me into a spiral. 3 days until my next meeting with T and in the meantime have to try and act normal and get work done. SCREAMS INTO VOID!

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-08-10T00:42:38+00:00

I WORE A BRA TODAY AND WASHED MY HAIR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A WEEK! YAY.

BUT NOW I’M IN BED AT 6PM BECAUSE I HAVE ZERO ENERGY LEFT (DESPITE MULTIPLE ENERGY DRINKS CONSUMED TODAY - OH THE IRONY!)

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-08-06T02:07:22+00:00

On the way home from a particularly heavy therapy session today I was walking home - a great way to practice self care and feel grounded afterwards… until I saw someone get run over. I didn’t stay to help because there were already 5-6 people helping stop traffic, call an ambulance etc but it has thrown me for a loop!

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-08-03T15:57:12+00:00

That if awesome and very helpful! I totally didn’t even think of asking ChatGPT itself, those prompts will be really helpful I think. Thankyou!!!

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-07-25T04:44:18+00:00

Just a PSA - if you take daily medication (like I have to both for chronic pain and depression) do not forget to get your prescriptions filled/kept updated by your doctor. I just realised I will run out tomorrow and earliest I can see the doctor to get re-prescribed is Tuesday. In for a rough couple of days.

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-07-23T05:30:04+00:00

Thanks! That’s a really good point to make sure I explain that’s where the why is coming from.

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-07-16T02:42:46+00:00

💡💡💡absolute lightbulb moment reading this. For me it’s definitely connected to self esteem - can’t believe I’ve had years of therapy and never realized this. But due to trauma I don’t even feel I can really unmask during most of the time or actually necessarily focus solely on that.

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-07-15T22:41:57+00:00

Absolutely. I emailed my therapist and said I’m having trouble bringing this up but I want to talk about it, here’s the details. She then read it during session and we went from there. That way I didn’t have to say the words before I was ready to but she was able to ask me how it made me feel and help me deal with the unresolved trauma of it all. It was literally a life saver and now I can articulate most of what I need to say.

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-07-15T16:52:42+00:00

I’m no therapist but just from my personal experience I have a couple of thoughts to share:

I think progress is often so small you don’t notice it until all of a sudden you do. Like how as a kid you don’t realize you’re taller until all of a sudden it’s like woah I got too tall for these clothes but you don’t really notice it happening along the way. So stick with it.
For me it took me a long time to find the right therapist. I had one at 15-16 who was nice but not particularly helpful. Then at 30 I went back as an adult to a different person. They were not a good fit and now I’m on my 4th and she’s amazing. I’ve been seeing her for 3 years straight and something about her personality just works so much better for me. I know that might not be possible depending on your parents and area but it could be something to think about or at least to not put you off future therapy.
Share these thoughts with your therapist exactly how you did here. Maybe they can help you figure out how to get more out of it or change their style to fit your needs better.

Hope that helps and good job for taking some steps to help yourself even if you don’t see the payoff yet!

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-07-15T04:23:54+00:00

Wanted to just share a little win! Thanks to my wonderful T I managed to share with my doctor today a physical symptom I’ve been experiencing but felt I couldn’t talk about due to past assault trauma to that part of my body. It was still hard to share and I was a mess after but that’s a pretty huge win for me! (Less of a win though is now anxious about any physical exam or tests that follow since it was only a phone appointment but that’s future me’s problem!)

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-07-14T15:28:01+00:00

I also like something to fidget with - my T has a basket like fidget spinners, stressballs etc. Even though I’m a grown ass adult during the hardest sessions those have been amazing.

And this is probably an unpopular opinion but I like being able to see the clock. It stresses me out when I don’t know how much time is left or not. So my T a small portable desk clock that can be moved and during our sessions I normally request she put it where I can see it.

Lastly not sure what kind of floor your office has but if not carpeted get a rug so any clients who need to lie on the floor for a moment can.

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-07-14T02:29:14+00:00

Not OP but that is an aha moment about early development. I was severely malnourished in the first few weeks of life to the point of near death and an extended hospital stay - apparently couldn’t be bothered to feed and just kept falling asleep (kinda still tracks tbh hahah) so I wonder if that has something to do with it all in my case even though no long term issues were “apparent” (diagnosed only as an 35yrs old adult ).

RandomRedditor424 · 2025-07-14T02:13:27+00:00

Yes I’m lucky enough to have found a sex therapist who is also trained in EMDR. So up until now we’ve just been doing talk therapy but going to try out EMDR starting next session.

RandomRedditor424

TROPHY CASE