Oh my goodness, that ECT! I forgot all about it. Yes, most definitely there are other treatments out there that are better than ECT.

The description in Wikepedia states it's used "when other treatments have failed". Well, they are referring to the typical CBT, psychoanalytic and psychodynamic treatments that have failed.

There have not been attempts, to my knowledge, to use an attuned therapist with EMDR or body psychotherapy. Both of these therapies, in the hands of a grounded therapist, can be enormously beneficial

In any case, the key, no matter which therapy approach, is to have a good connection with your therapist. An attuned therapist wouldn't be engaged in the things I wrote about Top Ten Signs of a Wonky Therapist and if they are brought to his or her attention, the therapist makes a good effort to correct them.

Shrinklady

Hi you all, this is a great topic. I'd also be glad to read something about EMDR by Robin...that'd be cool.
When I first shut down and stopped working they gave me ECT treatments. It was only 8 weeks into my depression and they gave me 24 in a row. It fried my memory and I feel grateful to still have enough brain power to function. I wondered if I'd be able to do school but seems that I can.
I would never recommend it. I fought against my clients having ECT and lost...

I have had some EMDR sessions. I found it was helpful, not the whole answer but i agree that its a good tool. The most important thing i think, is to have good stabilization skills in place and a good level of trust in your T BEFORE you do any emdr....because it destabilized me. Don't know if that'd be true for others or not. I am not a giant fan of it, but I'd do it again if my P thought I needed it.

Itshardtosay

Hi All

I know this topic isn't really about ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) but I just wanted to give my own personal opinion / experience on this topic.

I've had ECT. It was a last resort (both times) in my case and thankfully it worked to get me out of the rock bottom state I was in. The first time I had ECT I was suffering from severe postnatal depression and spent 16 weeks in a Mother-Baby Unit. I didn't want to hold my newborn child (whom my husband & I had desperately wanted and planned for). I just wanted to die. I could see no way out.

ECT is still very controversial and I respect that there are differences of opinion on this topic - but in my case it helped, it wasn't scary (but it's not a walk in the park either), and to be honest, if I ever needed it again (which I did after the birth of my second child), I would do it in a heart beat.

Having ECT hasn't "healed" me of past hurts. It just got me to a place where I could get out of bed. I am still working through long-term issues with my T and am a firm believer in the right brain / experience side of therapy which Myshrink promotes on her website.

Sorry for highjacking this topic - I wasn't even clear how ECT got brought up here in the topic on EMDR!

Cheers!
I'm OK

Hello Everyone,

I too have had ECT treatments and they have helped me tremendously--although, I initially agreed to have them because I engage in self-harm...and I thought that the ECT's(being so extreme) would accomplish a similar result as my cutting would...anyway...since the ECT's, I have felt much happier and much more ready to tackle some of the work I'm doing in therapy now. And, I would choose to do ECT's again if I needed them, this time not for self-harm but to lift me out of despair...mlc

not doin EMDR or ECT/
samy

I have done EMDR work with my T. I have found it very effective in getting past the "logical" side of me and into my "emotional" side. My T uses a light bar, and I follow the lights as they light up back and forth with my eyes. Usually, she lets me determine the length of the set in response to whatever question she has posed for me to try to get an answer to. Then we discuss whatever images, thoughts, or feelings have come up. We have also used it as a relaxation technique when I have come in so activated that I needed to calm down.

I would absolutely recommend it. But, only if you are truly ready and prepared. Stuff can come up that you weren't really aware of. But in the hands of a T trained in EMDR, he/she should be able to help you process whatever you find.

Musical Me

Hi Everyone-
I have tried EMDR on 2 occasions without much success. Eventhough I was excited about trying it to uncover some past stuff that I had very little memory of, EMDR did not work so well with me. Part of the preliminary process is to find a safe place. This was my stumbling block. My T said EMDR is not for everyone.

Hi, and thanks for this topic. I appreciate everyones comments. I am truly learning a lot.
I tried EMDR after researching it quite extensively, but when it came right down to working it, I could not find a safe place- which is one of the preliminary steps. My T and I tried it a few months later, but It did not work for me, and I did laugh a little. I just think it scared me too much. I really like the idea of it though. It seemed as if it would help me uncover some forgotten- repressed ugly stuff. (My T did assure me that we do not have to force this stuff and we can take things slowly.)Perhaps I will try it again, not sure though. My T used vibrating intermident buzzers held in each hand. I think that I could not relax enough to allow it to work. In theory- I am not against it.