EMDR to treat Attachment Issues

Yes, EMDR can help with attachment-related issues. From my experience and talking with other families, EMDR does not replace attachment therapy, but it can help aspects of it. For my daughter, EMDR helped with two specific things. One was that she had a lot of trauma around the "mean lady" at the orphanage. With EMDR, she was able to talk about it and to reduce the size of her fear related to those memories. Also, my daughter had some bad dentistry done in Russia. Going to the dentist here was horrible because of her PTSD. One of the EMDR sessions helped her with those fears and within a week she was able to go to the dentist. No, she didn't go excitedly, but she was able to get in the door and do what was needed and since then she's never had any more fear of dentists than anyone else might have. So, yes, EMDR can be very helpful. Susan W.

My girls have both had it. My oldest benefitted hugely..she has been able to have a good life as an adult without huge issues largely due to the therapy. She had complex PTSD and attachment issues. All her issues improved massively throughout therapy, but I don't know whether EMDR would help attachment issues alone..but since attachment issues are often caused by significant trauma, the EMDR should help them process that trauma, and then that in turn might help them attach. But if your DC has quite serious attachment issues or RAD then you really need attachment therapy in addition, EMDR won't substitute for that, it's only as far as I know been shown to work with PTSD

My daughter actually does also have a diagnoses of PTSD. She doesn't have a RAD diagnosis, but she clearly has some attachement related issues in addition to the RAD. We have been doing attachment therapy for over a year now with some success but she still flips out at bedtime every night. She believes we won't be there in the morning or she is mad at us for "stealing" her from her birth mom or she is just generally afraid of bad dreams. That is over simplifying it of course. And her attachment issues have improved greatly over the past year. She make eye contact most of the time, the exception is when she is having a bed time meltdown. She definitely prefers us to strangers now, although she is extremely clingy. But something will happen, like if the doorbell rings she will freak out or hide or if the dog barks she will be suddenly scared to death of my husband or sometimes even of me.....as I am typing this is really looks more like PTSD symptoms than attachment. Well regardless I sure hope it helps. We have an appointment next week to introduce her to the new therapist and will start the actual EMDR sessions the following week.

Sounds like EMDR might be a good fit for your daughter's issues. Let us know how it goes.Susan Ward

My daughter gets EMDR therapy (for about 2 years now) and it has been very helpful. She isn't always willing to do it though because she is reluctant sometimes to think about the traumatic events.

My daughter suffers from PTSD and I would love to try it for her, but there aren't any providers in our area that accept Medicaid and it is crazy expensive. If I could afford the $200 a hour, I'd definately try it for her.

My oldest adopted son has had EMDR and it has been revolutionary. I would say that it has fast-tracked him through a decade of counseling. I would certainly recommend it for attachment issues, and in dealing with any traumatic issues of any kind. The therapist we see also specializes in attachment issues, and he's affordable. His name is Barry Pike. This is his contact info: Barry Pike, MA (615) 289-7346 bpike.cafd@live.com He does see people in the Franklin/Brentwood area of Tennessee. I have older adoptive kids who saw him for a couple years before he became certified in EMDR. Like I said earlier, it's been very helpful. Hope that info can help someone. . . Blessings

My 9 year old is doing VERY well right now, and it's as if he's turned a major corner in healing. He participated in EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing)therapy several weeks back. Prior to this he was raging maybe 3 or 4 times a day, constantly dysregulated, angry and violent. Full on fight or flight mode. Mostly fight.He had gotten so out of control, that his psychiatrist handed me a brochure at his last doctor visit, and told me to go home and talk to my husband about it, and seriously consider it as the last resort option to help our son, as medication and therapy was failing. "It" was a Residential Treatment Center three hours drive away. I was stunned that that is what we had come to as a solution. Especially after a weeks hospitalization in August. He had been given one session of EMDR in the hospital, but it was conducted under less than stable circumstances and we saw no real benefit at the time. We decided to give it another try with his private therapist and an EMDR professional about a month ago. The single session lasted about 20 minutes. For several nights after EMDR, he had vivid and often frightening trauma nightmares, then it ceased entirely. We were told to expect this as his trauma was "purged" from the frontal lobe where it had taken up residence. Suddenly, within days, we saw new behaviors that we'd never seen.... cuddling, lots of "I love yous", laughing, excitement and joy, wanting to hold hands and be CLOSE -- touching, intertwined fingers. And most significant, he crawled into bed with me while I was asleep one morning, and I woke up to him propped on his side looking at me sleep. The look in his eyes can only be described as "in love". When I asked him what he was looking at , he replied "You" "I'm looking at you cause I love you". The change in him has been so significant, that even his teachers called me in for a conference to talk about the very obvious change in him at school as well. All three teachers noticed individually (and together in conferencing about it before calling me in) that he seems like a different child. They note they all three finally see EMOTION in him -- be it sad, happy, puzzled, upset, etc. rather than the flat affect they were accustomed to seeing. That it's as though a veil has been removed and he can "feel". I am noticing the same things at home too. Not just with less explosive behavior, but with attachment and bonding, eye contact, compliance, joy in simple things, and even empathy. He's been SNUGGLING with me and wanting to be touched. There have been several instances where we've had to set boundaries and tell him "no" - a no that normally would evoke a rage or meltdown or bargaining or all three... and 90% of the time he's accepted a "no" and the other 10% he was angry (door slamming/yelling) but it resulted in him going to his room and crying rather than exploding and being destructive or violent. Instead of being angry and exploding, he's getting his feelings hurt and being disappointed! Like a regular kid! It's been AMAZING. Hoping it holds out! THIS is the son that I know lurks underneath all the hurt.

What great information, thank you so much for sharing!