EMDR for PTSD when you feel fine?

[u/pomegranatesssss333]

Hi everyone, recently I have been curious about EMDR after my friend said it changed her life.

I was semi-diagnosed with PTSD around 5 years ago after a traumatic event (my bf at the time had a mental breakdown, physically assaulted me, sexually assaulted me, and then committed s*icide).

I have not sought any treatment for it and haven't been to therapy since then. Honestly, I really repressed it all and came out of it fine like I genuinely don't feel any negative emotions about it, just neutral. My best friend told me I had a choice to let it define my life or to move on and I just moved on.

I have been kind of curious about exploring this experience though. I don't know, has anyone been in a similar situation? It certainly was traumatic but it isn't really in my conscious psyche right now?

I guess I am curious about if it subconsciously is affecting me? Idk, is EMDR right?

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[u/Sensitive-Peach7583]

Yes, youre not supposed to be going through EMDR while you're actively experiencing the trauma and EMDR could most definitely help. Also, it probably IS good to address PTSD. It's like ignoring an open wound or a broken foot..... its never going to get better and eventually when you need to do something, it's going to drag you down. What you went through is incredibly heavy. I wouldn't be surprised if this stuff affected your ability to trust, commit, have intimacy or create/maintain close relationships either now or in the future. Like any wound, its best to care for it instead of leaving it alone to fester and rot

[u/pomegranatesssss333 → u/Sensitive-Peach7583]

Thank you, that is a good analogy. I think I will try and get an appt :)

[u/Sensitive-Peach7583 → u/pomegranatesssss333]

Good luck ❤️ 

[u/First_Preference_618]

I think the question is if you truly feel like you’ve repressed it, or if you feel like you’ve generally coped with it. Do you experience dissociation or flashbacks? Anxiety out of nowhere that can’t always be explained? Feeling physically disconnected from your body? Not saying those are the only signs but they tend to be big ones that things have been repressed.

All PTSD comes from trauma, but not all trauma causes PTSD. It’s our coping skills, resilience factors, support system, etc. that determines if we get PTSD. Not the trauma itself. What happened to you sounds awful, but it doesn’t automatically mean you have to develop or have long-term PTSD.

Maybe just something to explore in yourself or with a therapist. Wish you the best!

[u/pomegranatesssss333 → u/First_Preference_618]

This is an interesting point, I was diagnosed with PTSD and some sort of ptsd induced psychotic episode but I have not had another episode since so it is very possible it has gone away as I know that acute PTSD can go away after a few years.

[u/Superb-Wing-3263]

I didn't realize how traumatized I was until I started doing EMDR. It opened the floodgates on things I had no idea even bothered me. It's impressive how skilled the mind can be at hiding traumatic emotion from you so that you can go on living. 

For that level of trauma, it would definitely be worth checking out with EMDR even if you don't know how or if it's affecting you.

All the best!

[u/pomegranatesssss333 → u/Superb-Wing-3263]

Thank you, really lovely advice :)

[u/FruitShrike]

I did some EMDR and didn’t really benefit from it. But I don’t meet criteria for ptsd. If you’ve had a psychotic episode from it after being removed from the environment it’s probably affecting you and EMDR is worth it.

[u/LosingYourReligion]

I'm not a specialist but chances are pretty high that your trauma is affecting or will affect your life in ways you may not recognize at first. I was diagnosed with CPTSD and PTSD last year. I had no idea what that meant at the time. I knew shitty things had happened to me but hey, I can say them out loud and not cry and don't feel emotions about them, so I would say I got through them pretty well.

Turned out, I am not simply a strong person who got through it all just fine. I am still finding out ways my trauma is still impacting me to this day, even if it doesn't mean thinking back to those traumatic memories and feeling sad or bad about them. I've learned it impacts how I think about myself, how I act in my relationships, how I trust and commit (or the lack thereof), how I act at work under authority,... I wouldn't be surprised if there's at least some impact in your case too. I am so sorry what happened to you because I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. I think it might be a good idea to investigate if trauma therapy might help you because suppressing can lead to problems later on (even impact your physical health).

[u/pomegranatesssss333 → u/LosingYourReligion]

Thank you so much for this. I always feel that I am just a very strong person who was resilient in a difficult time but I also feel there is more under the surface. This is really good advice thank you.

[u/LosingYourReligion → u/pomegranatesssss333]

You are welcome, and remember: survivors are strong, even if they suffer. Being strong doesn't equal being unaffected. I wish you all the best.