Reddit reviews Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Self-Help Techniques from EMDR Therapy

I had the same problem. Similar actually. I basically stop doing what I was criticized for in my childhood.
And it was getting as bad as yours. I ended up suicidal thoughts because how bad my situation was. The only thing that stopped me of pills was living in US where you have to pay for your health care and it's not cheap. I looked around for cheaper option, I had to, my my income couldn't cover it. And I could not qualify for ACA help.
What I did is joining a CODA workshops. It is something based on 12 step program. There I learned that I am not responsible for other people feelings. There I learned that I am OK, that I am enough. That I am not a piece of trash.

Anyway, due to religion requirement I couldn't stomach the program and I left the program after one year, and started doing something on my own, basically thinking about and working through my own reactions, my own believes my own emotions. It helps when you realize what is behind. What is fueling your reaction and behavior, what you ended up believing about yourself. I also used exercises from book getting past over your past https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Past-Your-Self-Help-Techniques/dp/1609619951 it helped me get rid of my fear and reluctance to do stuff. In my case it was housework, not math as with you. I was incapable to keep my house clean. Now that changed, I have lovely comfortable living Environment.

http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Past-Your-Self-Help-Techniques/dp/1609619951/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383065629&sr=8-1&keywords=emdr

Honestly, I'm in a similar boat. ACA (Adult Children) has been an extremely affordable help (it's basically free/by donation).

Also books. Francine Shaparino has a DIY edmr book. Pete Walker is another good author.

These are the "find a therapist" directories for somatic experiencing and EMDR.

If you can't find a therapist near you, then it is still probably helpful to read some books about those approaches and why they're helpful so that you're informed about how trauma and treating it works as you work on it yourself.

Somatic Experiencing - In An Unspoken Voice.

EMDR - Getting Past Your Past and Tapping In.

DBT - you can get workbooks that you use yourself that go over the different DBT skills. I used this one with my therapist, but this one is also highly rated.

Surprisingly not painful. I'm sure everyone is different. I was really disassociated. So, it actually felt good to reconnect and even cry sometimes when that came. Weird to have so many years of just no-feeling dead, I'll take the crying and joy instead. Sometimes I'd be really afraid it was going to be upsetting, and once I really faced a thing, it was like 'oh, that wasn't nearly as bad as I expected' - a lot of that for me. Here's a good book. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1609619951/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1

I did weekly. Sometimes twice a week. Unfortunately, my insurance wouldn't pay for 90 minute sessions, which I think would be better. Most of he studies on this were done in that format. So, if I had a big thing to work on, it would sometimes take more than one session. I could have waited a week, but, chose to do two days in a row. My therapist taught me techniques before we started on how to put things away between sessions. Simple visualizing it going into a box for later type stuff. Best of luck friend!

I had a partner who didn't even think depression was real and discouraged me from taking medication, which ended up helping me temporarily. It is so hard to not have support for trying to heal yourself.

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I did 25 hours of EMDR. It was intense! And it definitely helped me. The VA uses it for vets with PTSD, honestly, that was enough for me to look into it. And I was at a "I'll try anything" point as well. I read the book by Francine Shapiro, the doctor who developed the treatment, Getting Past Your Past https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Past-Your-Self-Help-Techniques/dp/1609619951

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Your local library may have it or often times you can ask a library to purchase a book they don't have. Maybe give that a read first and see if it still appeals to you.

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I wonder if it's something that can be done remotely. I'm not sure myself but maybe there are therapists that can do it over skype?

I work with trauma clients almost exclusively. I'm sorry this has been your experience, you deserve better.

Like another poster mentioned here, seek out EMDR therapists in your area. Or therapists who work on exposure/narrative therapy, or anyone who specializes in PTSD and/or C-PTSD.
Even if the one EMDR therapist you met treated you that way, the chances are extremely low that the next one will.

Alternatively, EMDR can be self-administered. I'd highly recommend the book Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Self-Help Techniques from EMDR Therapy by Francine Shapiro. Good luck, and please don't give up.

Neither of these comments involves a diagnosis that is contained in the dsm, so there is no diagnosing going on. Anyone who says they can't leave their daughter for an hour knows this is a problem. The average layman would make the same observation as this is general knowledge. Its very understandable and not terribly uncommon in PTSD. I have just such a case right now.

Attempts to understand an insulting and inaccurate attack on line are not exactly clinical practice and when you insult people you can not really expect anything else. If you had just expressed your doubtfulness on the speed of EMDR or done a quick google search rather than asserting your limited knowledge as an authority we would not have ended up here.

This has been fun, but not really that fun. And I am in the middle of a day off so want to move on with my day. Let me leave u with just a few thoughts. The results I get are not gotten by all EMDR therapists, but are common to all those who persevere to really learn the skill. And not all client can get these results, but I have already said both of these things.
I hope you will pick up the Shapiro book. Its been out since 98 so no longer cutting edge but u should be able to find it at a used internet bookstore cheap.

The cutting edge stuff now is called brain spotting and its even simpler to do than EMDR and developed out of EMDR. The APA just recognized it over a year ago and are allowing training in it to be used towards state licensure. Since it is easier to learn and to do it may be even faster than EMDR. But finding a practitioner is unlikely at present. There are none in my county. Soon as I get a need for further cont ed credits and a few grand extra I'll travel for 3 weekends to get the training. If you really want to update your knowledge that would be the direction to go in. And Francine's latest book is a guide to using self tapping as a self help skill. The authors of this post may be interested in that. https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Past-Your-Self-Help-Techniques/dp/1609619951/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=J9MHD02JHV5TA23CETV3

In another 10 years, it is quite possible that traditional therapy will be rare and too expensive to do. EMDR, EFT, and Brain spotting will have forced it out. In 20 years, its highly probable that traditional therapy will exist only for the very wealthy and the very sick.

It can be done without a therapist, too. It's just that my explanation doesn't have all the details but books do. This is the book my therapist suggested me to read before EMDR: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Getting-Past-Your-Francine-Shapiro/dp/1609619951/ref=la_B001IZTCBY_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411914435&sr=1-1

This was a great book with lots of real experiences inside. And it has exercises on how to practice and establish the safe place. You can find a pdf online as well. Hope it helps you. Therapy is expensive and my insurance doesn't cover it. It took me a couple of years to be able to set aside money for that :S

:whispers: Oh shit. This is wonderful. Thank you. :/whispers:

Might I recommend you include a link to Shapiro's book that is essentially a manual for running through EMDR yourself?

I completely agree with the therapists that have commented that self-administering can have negative consequences. However, I am so grateful to have this as a 'refresher' for lighter work, for people that have been led through it properly before.

Again and seriously, thank you. Well done.