Re:emdr and transference

These are terrific questions. I'm going to word my answers in a general way that would apply to many -- it may not apply to you. Here goes....

It's certainly true that sensitivity to being heard and understood in a compassionate way is critical. The task is to determine whether one is responding to memories of people in the past, or to what is really happening now.

A preponderance of the self system needs to be on board for the work before EMDR is ever attempted. Don't ask me to measure "preponderance" - I don't know. It's some kind of critical mass. It's when the most powerful parts of the self, the ones that have the power to derail things, are on board. Those parts are terriby important. They are there for Reasons, and so the dynamics between parts (and how they play out in the therapeutic relationship) are important to understand before attempting EMDR in DID. For example, let's say some well intentioned therapist starts doing the usual EMDR protocol on a particular traumatic memory, with a self statement of "I'm helpless" as the negative cognition. The client seems to have consented to do the work, and both the client and the therapist are either ignoring or are not aware of the presence of alters opposed to the work, or who hold a different point of view, and are not involved in the therapy.
The EMDR begins, targeting the memory and the negative self statement and the helpless feeling in the stomach. Whammo. Within a few short sets, the EMDR itself pulls forward an angry protective part of self that says "she's worthless, its her fault, and she should die." The EMDR pulled this part forward because she holds the next link in the chain of logic from the time of trauma. Meanwhile, the therapist doesn't have a rapport wiht this part, the part has not had the benefit of sessions that explore her history and purpose, and so there she is, all infuriated, self-destructive, maybe not even aware she is in the same body with the rest of them. No way to get that session to end well, probably hard to "tuck in" such a part at that point. This is backwards.

Much better if that part's needs and point of view are acknowledged and appreciated well ahead of an EMDR session. Any educating about being in the same body, the current year, and other information can be provided ahead of time. The therapist and this alter have a rapport. So when the time comes to actually do EMDR, this part and other parts all connected to the same internal dynamics are on board and willing to help.

That's my view of things.

Replies:

Re:emdr and transference, by another client, 07/13/02

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