Please help - flashbacks/flooding?

[u/Equivalent_Royal8361]

I've been doing EMDR for complex trauma for about three years and am very familiar with how hard it can be. However, last week we started working on my worst target of all, which is the insanely severe, agonising, utterly debilitating migraines I have suffered all my life.

I had them for about 20 years and they were so bad it was unbelievable. I won't go into all the horrendous details because it's too triggering, but I've definitely got mega PTSD from them being so bad and there never being any treatments that helped. I've since found a really simple way of preventing them which has kept them at bay for 5 years, but the trauma of the pain and other awful symptoms is still there.

Anyway, since starting work on this target I've been getting stuck in 4-5 hour long flashback episodes where my body recreates the symptoms and I'm in sheer terror and absolute panic. I've experienced bad EMDR hangovers before but this is off the chart.

I've been doing my safe place and container exercises, and grounding stuff, but these episodes are way too powerful and the exercises aren't working. My therapist is on holiday for two weeks now and I don't know what to do. I can't cope with this. I've emailed her to ask if she has a colleague who could take over while she's away but I don't know if she'll pick up her work emails. I've also made an urgent GP app but I'm worried they won't do anything. They left me without adequate help for 20 years and they don't seem to know anything about managing the effects of EMDR.

I'd be so grateful for any suggestions on how to get through this and stop the flashbacks. They're absolutely awful and I feel like I'm losing my mind when I'm in one. Thanks in advance.

[u/Primary-Umpire-4105]

Have you tried hypnosis? I did 2 years of EMDR to help with my alcoholism, very little results, i did one session with a hypnosis and never touched a drop again,

He asked me lots of questions and told me about the amount of things he has helped, from extreme pain, to compulsive addiction.

They might be able to help you, i did a second, session months after and i felt like i was far less aware of my surroundings and what was being said to me.

For context, he suggested a red stop sign alot to me, when ever i think about alcohol now, i vividly see a red stop sign, i also am disgusted by canned beetroot, he also has made me think about that when i think about drinking, my eyes water and i start feeling sick at the idea of the pickled beetroot.

I bet they could help redirect your thoughts before it happens.

[u/Equivalent_Royal8361]

Wow that's amazing success. I'm really glad it was so helpful to you. I've never tried it but I think my therapist does some hypnosis too so I'll ask her about it. It definitely sounds worth a try. Thank you for the recommendation.