Has anyone tried trauma therapy like EMDR with their teenager? My son is 14 (Aspergers, General/Social Anxiety). We have a great relationship at home. He loves to laugh and make jokes. We pretty much know now how to get him out of defense mode. The problem is, when anyone other than immediate family is around (even familiar people), he instantly gets anxious, tense. He becomes robot-like (no emotion, will hardly move/talk). He can still function, but with so much anxiety, which I think stems from cognitive distortions and maybe trauma from childhood experiences that would not be considered traumatic for most people (ie teacher urging him to dance or correcting his wrong work). He’s had years of talk therapy, but didn’t help much. Wondering if EMDR or Somatic therapy will help calm his body, then his mind. Or do you have other suggestions? He says he knows some of his thoughts are wrong, but his “subconscious” always wins.

Posted by Lyn at 2022-11-16 20:01:07 UTC