PTSD

Originally Posted By Susan WardYou might check out and Our therapist used EMDR with Hannah on her PTSD and it was a miracle! I won't say her PTSD is completely gone, but it really helped. When Hannah had flashbacks, I just held her (if I could), and kept talking to her calmly. When it was over, I would spend a lot of time trying to help her process and then relax. Early on, I wasn't able to seperate Hannah's RAD behaviors from her PTSD, but after a while, most of the time, I could tell. Lots of people are not real familiar in treating children with PTSD, so it's good you've found someone.Best of luck.Susan Ward, mama to Hannah, age 10, home 4 years

Originally Posted By KristenHi Susan:So glad your Hannah is doing much better. What a blessing. Could you explaing what EMDR is and how it helped her?Thanks so much. Christmas Blessings to you and yours.Kristen

Originally Posted By Susan WardEMDR is Eye Movement Desensitization andReprocessing. It's used, for example, with war vets to help them work through traumas instead of getting stuck at aparticular moment and re-living it over and over.EMDR provides a way to connect parts of thebrain that are not connecting when it comesto traumas from your past. Once the brainportions connect, you can think of the eventand move past it and not get stuck in theemotions of it. It's magic! :-)Our therapist has used it with Hannah afterHannah has a PTSD episode to help her workthrough and past the emotions of theincident. She's done it about the dentist,softball, and "the mean lady at theorphanage." One time, Hannah asked thetherapist if she would use EMDR to help herwith going to sleep at night.Like I said, it's magic! It's hard to explainbecause it seems so simple but it works withboth adults and children. Here's a website,[url="http://www.emdr.com/"]http://www.emdr.com/[/url]Susan Ward, mama to Hannah, age 10

Originally Posted By Dr. Arthur Becker-WeidmanEMDR can be an effective adjunctive tool for a therapist to use. The eye-movement part in which therpaists use light, or taping, or bright objects is not a necessary component. The research on EMDR has shown that the "active ingredient" is not eye movement and that is unnecessary. The active component is a close and trusting relationship between client and therapist in which the client allows him or her self to focus on specific traumatic memories and relive with affect, the trauma. Athur Becker-Weidman, Ph.DCenter For Family Development716-810-0790AWeidman@Concentric.net

Originally Posted By PeggyI found the old board and was able to read the answer from Dr. Art about looking up info on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. You suggested a book on the Bipolar child. I always thought that PTSD and being Bipolar were two distinct conditions.

Originally Posted By Dr. Arthur Becker-WeidmanYes, PTSD and Bipolar Disorder are distinct conditions. PTST is caused by a severe traumatic event and, so, in social/psychological in etiology while Bipolar disorder has strong genetic components. While medication can be helpful in aleviating the anxiety and panic attack components of PTSD, medication is really an essential part of treating Bipolar disorder; usually with a mood stabalizer such as Depakote or Lithium and sometimes with the addition of an atypical antipsychotic such as Seroquol or Risperadol.Arthur Becker-Weidman, PH.D.Center For Family Development716-810-0790[url="http://www.Center4FamilyDevelop.com"]http://www.Center4FamilyDevelop.com[/url]AWeidman@Concentric.net