INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Studies have shown that patients who do not complete the full eight-phase course of treatment are more likely to lose the beneficial effects of treatment, or lack any significant benefits whatsoever. For this reason, it is imperative that you commit to the full course of treatment, if you or your therapist believes that EMDR treatments could help you.  Phase one - this phase of therapy involves the therapist taking down the patient's history. The therapist will then assess the patient's preparedness to progress, and will work with the patient to develop a treatment plan.  Phase two - during the second phase of treatment, the therapist will work with the patient to ensure that they have multiple methods of coping with emotional pain and trauma. During this phase, the therapist may teach the patient different stress-reduction techniques and develop a plan to process disturbing emotions as they arise.  Phases three through six - in these phases of treatment, the patient will identify some type of vivid visual imagery they associate with the traumatic memory, a negative belief they hold about themselves, a positive belief they hold about themselves, and any other emotions or sensations related to the memory. Sessions during these phases will focus on the use of eye movement. The therapist will also teach the patient to focus on the positive self-belief that they have identified.  Phase seven - during phase seven, the therapist works with the patient to find some type of closure on the trauma. If the therapist has not done so yet, they will now begin asking the patient to keep a log throughout the week, and will work on instituting the self-calming and coping techniques from phase two for use at home when the patient is keeping their weekly log.  Phase eight - in this (potentially) last phase, the therapist will review how much progress the patient has made and evaluate how to move forward. In many ways, the course of each EMDR session is determined by the patient. The patient is always left in charge of deciding how much to tell the therapist in a given session, and whether they feel comfortable continuing or would prefer to stop. But through it all, it’s important that you offer your therapist total honesty in everything you discuss.  If you need to stop or don’t yet feel comfortable proceeding on a certain topic, that is perfectly fine. However, in order to fully move past the trauma of the event, you will eventually need to open up about all aspects of the experience.  As a patient, you have every right to withhold details or memories until you’re more comfortable revealing that information, but it’s important to know that prolonged withholding of information will extend the duration of the therapy, and may delay the healing process. Though the memories of trauma will continue to live on in the patient’s mind, a successful course of EMDR therapy should help reduce or completely eliminate the distressing symptoms that had previously accompanied those memories. Once the memory no longer causes flashbacks, panic attacks, or symptoms of trauma, the therapist and patient will begin to develop new coping skills to help process and live with those memories, as well as any future trauma that may arise.

SUMMARY: Follow your appointment schedule. Be open and honest. Develop new coping skills.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: so you can get to know her. If you’d like to possibly have a relationship with her, you need to get closer to her by being her friend first. Try eating lunch with her and other people so you spend time with her in a group setting. Offer to help her out with a project or just be a listening ear if she needs one. Become friends with her friends, too. If you want to have a relationship with her, you will need to have a good relationship with everyone in her life. As you get closer to her, try a little playful flirting to see if she’s at all interested in you. Try complimenting her appearance or even teasing her a little bit to engage with her. If you’re going to have a romantic relationship with her, it’s important to have romantic chemistry.  Compliment her when she does something different with her appearance. If she gets a new haircut, say, “Your hair looks great!” If she giggles and flirts back or initiates her own flirting, it could be the start of a romantic relationship. If she becomes despondent or upset when you try to flirt with her, it may be a sign that it just isn’t meant to be. But you can only find out if you try! If you’ve gotten closer to her, you can ask her for her phone number so you can communicate with her there. Texting is a great way of talking to her casually. You can ask her about her day, or make plans to meet up without the pressure of an in-person conversation.  Text her something like, “Hey, I’m super bored, what are you up to?” She may respond saying that she wants to meet up or she may start a text conversation with you. Don’t blow up her phone with a bunch of texts and don’t get angry if she takes a long time to respond to your texts or doesn’t respond at all. You can learn a lot about her life, interests, and hobbies from her social media accounts. Add her as a friend on Facebook so you’re connected there and can send messages and comments. If she has an Instagram account, go and follow her profile so you can like her posts.  Connecting on social media also gives her a chance to learn more about you and your life. Like and comment on her posts, but don’t overdo it. If you go and like every post from the past 6 weeks, it could make you look creepy. Memes are a great way to make her laugh and show her that you understand her sense of humor as well. You can text memes to her or tag or share them via social media so she sees them there. Try making your own memes that include inside jokes between you and her. Whatever you do, don’t be too pushy and constantly laud her with praise and questions. Give her her space and if she likes you back, she will let you know. The last thing you want to do is drive her away by creeping her out or even scaring her by being too clingy.  If she tells you that she needs space, say something like, “No problem, I understand. It wasn’t my intention.” Never follow her around or approach her against her will. It’s rude, inappropriate, creepy, and grounds for a restraining order.

SUMMARY:
Be her friend Flirt with her to see if she flirts back with you. Ask her for her phone number and send her playful texts. Send her a friend or follow request on social media. Share memes with her to share humor and interests. Don’t be clingy or overbearing.