Could EMDR help with childhood bullying trauma, anxiety and hypervigilance later in life?
Hi everyone,
I’m a 27-year-old man and I’ve been struggling with certain issues for quite a while now. Lately I’m starting to feel like it might go deeper than just “anxiety”.
From around age 6 to 12, I was bullied quite badly in primary school. I was a bit heavier than the other kids and because of that I was called names, excluded and sometimes even physically attacked on a daily basis. Eventually my parents moved to another city, partly because of the bullying, and things slowly started to get better. In secondary school the bullying continued for about two more years, but after that my life became a lot calmer.
When I was 18, I was diagnosed with psoriasis. It has mostly been mild, luckily, but in recent years it sometimes comes back more intensely. What I’ve noticed especially is that over the past three years my anxiety has also increased a lot. I went through a period with frequent panic attacks, which are mostly gone now, but health anxiety and constant tension are still there. Whenever I feel a small pain or symptom, my mind quickly jumps to the idea that something is seriously wrong.
I also notice that I get overstimulated quite easily, become irritated by small things, feel personally attacked quickly, struggle with jokes about myself, and often feel tense or on edge. Even small things like neighbours making noise or people walking in the street can irritate me a lot, even though I know rationally that it’s not a big deal.
I’ve had cognitive behavioural therapy before, but honestly it felt more like it was focused on managing symptoms rather than getting to the deeper root of the problem. I keep feeling like some of this may be connected to what happened when I was younger.
I’ve heard from several people with childhood trauma that EMDR and/or schema therapy can be helpful. My GP also said that these could possibly fit my situation.
Has anyone here experienced something similar, and did EMDR actually help you? Does it sound like EMDR could be a reasonable option in my case?
I’d really appreciate honest experiences or advice.