EMDR with two adolescents suffering from dissociative symptoms after sexual abuse: both with considerable weight-loss during treatment

Clinical case-presentation of EMDR-treatment of a boy and a girl, sixteen and eighteen years of age respectively, both with a history of different dissociative symptoms. Both were sexually abuse and both had a considerable weight-loss during EMDR-treatment. Symptoms prior to my contact with the body was pseudo-epileptic fits with shaking, cramps, eyes turning “inside out” and sometimes turning quite blue. After he could be spoken to, he could drink and seemed oriented in time and space, but later had total amnesia of the dissociative episode that could last for several hours. He also had pain in one leg and got the diagnosis “Sympatic Dystrophia” and “Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.” Memory of the sexual abuse was completely hidden behind a screen memory of being abuse physically by a schoolmate until very late in EMDR-treatment. The girl had family relations problems, eating disturbance, suicidal behavior and intense sways in temper and server conflicts with her mother. The sexual abuse by a relative was known and the dissociation was not diagnosed before screening with DES.

Both had different kinds of somatic and/or psychological long treatment, with little success, before entering EMDR-treatment. Both had an EMDR-treatment period of almost one-year and both were given the Putnam DES-scale before, during, and eight months after treatment.

In both cases, there was decline from very high Putnam DES scores to normal. At the eight month follow-up, the boy’s results persisted and weight was regained. The girl us just about to end treatment so there are no follow-up results. However, her weight is back to normal.

Is weight loss during EMDR-treatment noticed by other EMDR-therapists?

Conference

English

Margareta Friberg

Friberg, M. (2004, June). EMDR with two adolescents suffering from dissociative symptoms after sexual abuse: both with considerable weight-loss during treatment. In children and EMDR (R. Oras, Chair). Symposium conducted at the 5th EMDR Europe Association Conference, Stockholm, Sweden