EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitising and Reprocessing)

I have my first EMDR appointment with IAPTS tomorrow for CPTSD. I had some EMDR privately in the past where we investigated my 'trauma'. I wasn't really convinced that this trauma could have such a profound effect on me.  There was something else. While waiting for an appointment (over a year), I became friends with a guy with ADHD and OCD, so I did some research and found a series of videos comparing differences and commonalities between various mental health conditions and ASD.  The Venn diagrams appealed to me :) That was my omg moment.  I did some more research, for myself this time and I began to realise that, if I remove my trauma from the equation and added ASD, my life might well have turned out the same and I would probably be facing the same struggles.  I don't know if I should mention ASD tomorrow.  I'll probs start a new thread as I've waffled enough.  EMDR is very interesting. Mind-bogglingly so. Expect to hear the word Amygdala a lot L)

Jenny Butterfly said:

as quickly as shifting my email folders!

I wish I could as well

my way was as traumatic as truma itself,  like doing something blindfolded, by trial and error

It sounds as though in your case desensitisation has worked in the more conventional sense of gradually eroding the emotional response to memories.  Hundreds of times also sounds quite horrible to go through though - I've done it myself and sometimes my mind just locks in on something and won't let go.  On some occasions it's continued long into the night too.  I do need to move more of such memories from the "distressing" to the "casual" category.  If only I were able to do this as quickly as shifting my email folders!  :)       

That's a good point Martin and I'll alter the original post to reflect.  And apologies - I've been wading around in so much information on mental health and autism that I now use them routinely and unthinkingly at times.   

Could I just ask people in general, if you use acronyms please give the full version the first time you use it. It saves other people, who may not recognise the acronym, having to search for its meaning - like I have just had to do.

Jenny Butterfly said:

The memories were exactly the same but somehow my feelings about them were different and much less intense. 

I observed similar effect after reviewing the same memory from the past multiple times, especially those traumatic ones from childhood

multiple times is often hundreds of times

after that many they become almost casual memories and i can talk about them normally with friends, or GP, or whoever asks ignoring warning, ''be sure you want to hear an answer before you ask me''

Whoops! In desperation I am going round in circles - I actually bought this book in 2019.  Off to find my Kindle.  :). 

And oh, I just noticed the Gordon Gates book on autism, stigma and trauma.  Must be careful not to overspend on books and webinars!

smile.amazon.co.uk/.../ref=sr_1_1

Exactly.  I find that we keep on falling between the paving stones, with no NHS services set up or adapted for autistic people beyond the initial assessment process.  There are no pathways of care, as there ought to be, and we've been discharged from services several times without any further referrals or signposting.  Provision elsewhere is patchy too, which often puts us in the position of having to piece things together for ourselves.  And this, of course, can be time consuming, costly or both. 

And I hear c-PTSD mentioned a lot in the webinars and other resources I use, often to the effect that, given the ways in which everything is set up for the neuro-majority, we're marginalised and often edged out or even bullied, there's no such thing as an untraumatised autistic person!   The Ausome Training course on autism and trauma is at pains to separate out autism and trauma, whilst recognising that this is enormously difficult, especially given that the diagnostic criteria used to identify autism are seen as largely based on traumatised autistic people and unbalanced by any positives.

I was thinking of doing one of Carolyn Spring's courses, although I don't think these are specific to autism.   I just want to zoom in on this subject.  

 www.carolynspring.com/.../

This is really helpful Jenny - thank you so much :) 

It happens far too often that people have referrals declined or are discharged from mental health services without any alternative support being offered. The services should have to agree between themselves which one is most appropriate, rather than leaving the individual without any help and back at the end of yet another long waiting list. I have experienced that myself, being bounced around with no service willing to accept the referral. In fact IAPT did that to me last time I was in contact with them and I very much doubt that things have improved since. I think they only want to take on cases where they think they can easily help. Any that are deemed too 'complex' they try to pass on to someone else

I am currently interested in autistic trauma too. I recall reading about some academic research into c-PTSD in autistic people. I think it was saying that autistic people can experience a cumulative effect of all of the traumas they experience on a day to day basis and this can result in c-PTSD. If I can find the link again I will post it. This page, from a web link you recently posted, gives a good summary of the types of trauma commonly experienced by the neurodivergent https://www.kelly-mahler.com/resources/blog/unsafe-unheard-misunderstood-trauma-neurodiversity/

Yes, I'm really getting quite a lot out of today's lineup.  And I home in on anything related to trauma in conferences and webinars like this one.

I did get a couple of sessions of EMDR via our local IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) service a few years ago, but I was then abruptly discharged because, as they said, my "depression" was exogenous and related to what was going on in my life.  A bit puzzling, I thought, as I felt sure that many of their patients would find themselves in the same boat and then have nowhere to turn.  But the service might have changed since then.  

I didn't have a PTSD diagnosis but, after reading around the subject, I think I might have cPTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder) and it might be worth me getting a couple more sessions privately.  I did notice that the 2 sessions I had did seem to take the sting out of some of my past experiences.  The memories were exactly the same but somehow my feelings about them were different and much less intense.  Plus I was very interested when, in passing Evaleen Whelton (of Ausome Training) said that she thought it was a bit like stimming, which of course can be helpful in dissipating strong feelings.   

Thank you for posting this. I would not have watched the Samantha Stein video had it not been for your post, since I am not a parent I'd assumed it wouldn't be relevant. However it covers so much more. 

Samantha and her family were offered EMDR therapy following a period of severe sensory trauma. I think it links well to one of todays other videos 'Sensory Trauma: The Daily Experience of Fear'. https://www.autismwellbeing.org.uk/sensory-trauma

I have been interested in EMDR for a while but I am not sure how easy it is to access on the NHS. The website of my local IAPT service suggests that it is available for people suffering from PTSD. I have read elsewhere that it can also be effective for anxiety, panic and phobias.

I am now understanding more that the trauma I have experienced as an autistic person living in a world not designed for me is very real. It may not be recognised as trauma by others or given a formal PTSD diagnosis, but that does not mean it should not be treated as such. 

Some quotes from web page I have linked to above:

The events experienced by autistic people as painful, distressing or life threatening may not necessarily be the extreme events typically associated with trauma.

An event that causes an autistic person to experience sensory trauma may be construed as harmless or inconsequential be a non autistic person in the same environment.

When an autistic person experiences the pain and distress of sensory trauma their response is directly proportionate to their experience.

I note that the NHS website actually says "Any situation that a person finds traumatic can cause PTSD."

I'd be interested to hear of other experiences with accessing and receiving EMDR therapy, especially without a PTSD diagnosis.