| EMDR Heals the Wounded Soul | |
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As I got to know Leeny, I saw that she was slowly beginning to accept the cyber equivalent of a pat on the shoulder and soon was giving and receiving hugs freely. I asked one of our hosts what had happened to effect such a change in her. The answer was that Leeny had been going to therapy. I was soon to learn it wasn't just any therapy, however. Leeny had been receiving a new type of therapy called EMDR.
Although Leeny says EMDR wasn't the original catalyst for this change, it has helped to crystallize the discoveries she has made in her therapy, such as the fact that to be touched is not equivalent to pain.
She also learned more details about her childhood. One of her fears, she says, was that she had been duped by previous therapists, that she had never been abused at all. During EMDR session, however, she was able to remember many details about her abuse right down the physical sensations. She also remembered something that to her was more painful than the abuse itself. After her mother discovered it was happening, she began to protect Leeny. Her abusive brother became violent towards her. Her older sisters who had also been abused, but had not received this protection became jealous and distanced themselves from her. She says at this time in her life, "I became that island in a sea of people who I wanted so desperately to love me". She adds, "I wanted that love and camaraderie of siblings so much that I would have gladly given into rape for as long as my body was needed. The molestation stopped, but something worse took it's place. Loneliness and despair became my life."
Although
Leeny made some painful discoveries, she also has begun to heal and has no
regrets. She
describes EMDR as "the most liberating therapy that I have experienced in
the almost 8 years since I began this journey of returning to the world of the
'As close to normal" as possible'." Perhaps the most encouraging
sign of her newfound healing is the fact that she has volunteered to be a tutor
for the Adult Literacy program in her hometown. She tells me, "My
greatest wish is that because in some small way I will have given someone the
power and joy of reading. Not too bad for someone who hasn't left the house
willingly for years unless it was for a doctor's appointment or to go grocery
shopping with my husband." Leeny, I'm very proud of you.
(((((((((((Leeny)))))))))))
Next page > Eponine's Story: Healing from Traumatic Loss > Page 1, 2, 3, 4
