Presentation of the patient:
The patient was in cognitive-behavioral treatment when she came to the clinic. She complained about something holding her back. She was very shy and began to loosen up, when she joined a pentecostal church. The legalistic doctrine of her church kept her from reunions with her school colleges and family members, because she thought they were sinful. After one year of dating the church expected her to marry to prevent sin. Her sexuality transformed into a burden after a traumatic honeymoon. Her husband had not cut the umbilical bond with his mother, yet, causing nasty conflicts between the patient and her mother-in-law. When the patient started treatment with EMDR-J, an abuse memory with lasting consequences came up. The patient's treatment was very intense and complex. The author chose several sessions of different periods in order to give an insight in the patient's treatment.
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| Illustrative photograph by Jörg Garbers |
Second session
In the second session, chosen by the author, the patient accesses her conflicts with her mother-in-law. She visualizes herself in the kitchen with her mother-in-law. There's a white spot. An empty space opens and she can't see the face. She visualizes a foto from the time her mother-in-law was sick. She feels the urge to enter the foto. There are white walls. She sees herself walking. It went dark at her left, a dark grey. A shadow appeared behind her. She went to the living room. Now there's thirty percent clarity. She feels without courage and stuck, sitting on the floor with her legs crossed. She wants to get up, but isn't able to. Somebody comes out of the dark and sits with her. Afterwards comes another person with less darkness. They're three, reading. A colorful wind coming from the foto passes by. The patient feels ready to get up and follow the colorful wind. She rises, but the person behind her who came from the darkness doesn't want to get up. She motivates the person. She visualizes three shadows of light heading towards the darkness, walking. One turns left into a hall of clarity, two carry on. They arrive at a hallway with a dark green abyss that looks like vegetation. They cling to the wall. There's no floor. The patient looks for the colorful wind. There's no way to go on. Let's go back! The floor reappears. The floor is very white. She feels insecure to step on it. She doesn't want to return. There's dark moss. The image disappears and turns grey. They are going back the way they came. When they get to the first hall, they sit again. The darkness returns. Another person appears giving a hand. They were to go back to that hallway, but it's different. The patient is not sure about the third person. There's a shadow behind her. The hallway is dark grey. She remembers what happened. She approaches a white place, but she is not getting there. There are two persons at the door to the white hall. There are two doors. One is dark and the other leads to a garden. The shadow wants to push and leaves through the garden door. There are two persons at the door, stopping with indecision, unable to take the next step. Doors open and close. The patient visualizes herself between the doors with her legs crossed.
