How To Get Help When Therapy Is A Ptsd Trigger

[Atu]

And I find the idea of having "lower stress" as amusing any more. Mostly on the grounds of "that's a nice dream." Everyone looks at me like I'm batcrap crazy when I say *everything* (and i do mean everything) is stressfull.

Yep. Also pretty normal for PTSD. The PTSD Cup - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Explained

 

[Nicit]

Combination reply to everyone:

First of all, thanks.

I have no friends to go with me. I was prohibited from making fri...

(dog trainer here.)
I'm so sorry about all of these ailments you're facing. Have you considered taking medication for your allergy? Hypoallergenic dogs are actually not really "hypoallergenic" since all dogs shed and all have dandruff, but rather breeds like poodles have less of the type of dandruff that causes allergic reactions. That's what makes them appear "hypoallergenic."

You may not like this suggestion and it is rather expensive.. but have you thought about inpatient programs? Everyone there will know how to handle certain situations and will provide you with the needed medication.

 

[Obife]

(dog trainer here.)
I'm so sorry about all of these ailments you're facing. Have you considered taking medication for yo...

Allergy meds are... effective at reducing the reaction, but turn me into a non functional blob. Even the nice little non-drowsy ones. Like a "i shouldn't drive or work or anything other than just sleep" sort of blob. Not real conducive for living life.

Inpatient programs are... not really an option, unfortunately. Due to circumstances, I have no savings, no support, and my insurance wont cover jack crap. If i take even a slight break from my job, I'll get canned. I have no one to pay my bills in my stead, which means I'll be homeless. Also, I live in a very rural area, and the nearest place that does that is hundreds of miles away in a big city that, due to the amount of air pollution, makes me physically ill. Plus, if my family ever found out I had to go for inpatient work, they'd destroy me. As in "I would need a restraining order and security guards once i got out". For dishonoring their name or whatever it's called nowadays.

Do I wish that were a feasible option? Yes, I do.

 

[Ovoc]

I'm out of here. If you're not willing to put in the effort, then, yeah, no hope.

Please don't think I'm not willing to put in the effort. I have been actively pursuing solutions for almost 5 years now. My point is that nothing is working, and I have had multiple doctors and therapists give up on me and call it untreatable. I refuse to accept that, hence why I wound up here, asking for new things to try.

 

[Vavojus]

Correction from above : OFTEN used in the beginning.

Not everyone needs meds to start therapy. But it's extremely comm...

I don't use them. I refuse to. The first session my therapist gave me a book to read on grounding techniques etc

 

[Tikem]

Allergy meds are... effective at reducing the reaction, but turn me into a non functional blob. Even the nice little non...

Find a service animal you are not allergic to. I've heard of service ducks. Service chickens. Etc. If that's what it has to be, si be it.

You're going to have to decide how much discomfort you're willing to deal with to get to the end of the tunnel. So far you've said no to everything. What if you start with a self help book? This was suggested to me.

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation & ... Tolerance (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook) Dead Link Removed

 

[Vaviw]

Inpatient programs are... not really an option, unfortunately. Due to circumstances, I have no savings, no support, and my insurance wont cover jack crap. If i take even a slight break from my job, I'll get canned. I have no one to pay my bills in my stead, which means I'll be homeless. Also, I live in a very rural area, and the nearest place that does that is hundreds of miles away in a big city that, due to the amount of air pollution, makes me physically ill. Plus, if my family ever found out I had to go for inpatient work, they'd destroy me. As in "I would need a restraining order and security guards once i got out". For dishonoring their name or whatever it's called nowadays.

Do I wish that were a feasible option? Yes, I do.

Those read to me as logistics to sort, rather than a full stop, if it's something you want to do.

- Find a few trauma programs you like & what their requirements are
- Funding ; look into getting on different insurance, medical grants & loans, etc. that are accepted by the programs you like. Travel costs. Etc.
- Set up your housing situation so it's either still there when you get back (paying in advance, subletting if leased/short term rental if owned, etc.), or if renting save money by putting in your notice & your stuff in storage whilst you're away.
- Employment
- Legal issues with your family of origin

Etc.

Oftentimes we can't just swan off and do whatever it is want. There are problems that need sorting first. Whether it's the logistics of getting into an inpatient program, or stabilizing before trauma treatment. That we need to back up a couple steps? Doesn't mean we can't do what we want to do. Means we need to identify the problems (which you've done, but seems to be where you stop) and then work on solving them.

 

[Ozo]

It sounds like you need inpatient. If you are so non-functional you risk losing your house, etc. Inpatient.

 

[Ojape]

Whatever else, you're going to need to do something about your mindset. Frankly, if you're managing at the moment to hold down a job, keep a house together (ie pay rent, feed yourself, manage bills to some degree) you're doing better than many people on here. You're able to manage your symptoms enough to function on some level - those same skills will help you cope with treatment.

What are you currently actively doing towards your recovery? Not what have you done that hasn't worked, or what you've thought of that you "know" won't work - what are you physically doing just now?

Rather than refusing medication, you may need to consider it as an option, instead of shutting down in therapy, you need to communicate with your T, look at grounding and breathing exercises in session, do some reading about window of tolerance yours might be very small but there are ways to expand this so you can work for longer. Write things down to give her in session, talk about how hard it is to talk, tell her when you feel you're spaced out, write to her after session about what happened in session - whatever you need to do. Get a couple of workbooks, there's a good one for dissociation that - with work - can help you be more present in challenging situations and some excellent DBT ones that will help with emotional regulation. Work on self care, rest, sleep, eat well, get outside and walk or run or whatever you do, start a journal, read for pleasure - start the discipline of caring for yourself. Do mindfulness, yoga, things that relax and reset the mind and bring you back into your own body. Look here for work processes to try eg the thread on top ten congnitive distortions.

The reality is there's no silver bullet here, it's a combination of things, done consistently over a long period of time that gets results gradually.

No, it's not quick or easy, recovering from PTSD is some of the hardest work I've ever done, but it hasn't taken 25 years... but oh my goodness it's been hard, painful work. But I was in pain anyway. It may be a long time before you feel recovered, you may feel worse before you get better but if you continue as you are, you're going to go under anyway. At least go under fighting.

 

[Otap]

Take a mindfulness class, and start to learn how to get grounded. If you can't/won't take a class, work your way through 'Full Catastrophe Living' by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

Do I wish that were a feasible option? Yes, I do.

Then, it is. I agree with the poster who said that you've articulated a good list of challenges, but not at all a list of reasons why it's impossible.

If you don't have any support, then you don't actually have a relationship with your family, so there's nothing to lose - right?

There are places not in cities.

Insurance is much, much more flexible than people give it credit for (assuming you are in the US) - if you are insured, and you can get a doctor to require inpatient as the best/most reasonable course of treatment, then it'll be covered. Might not be 100% covered, but it will be.

I also agree with the poster who pointed out that if you are holding down a job, you can do this. You're suffering, no doubt - but you are functional.

Besides a magic potion that fixes everything - what would your ideal scenario be? Would it be going inpatient, would it be building a relationship with a therapist, would it be some kind of therapy that was medication or technology based....?

 

[Acabi]

Please don't think I'm not willing to put in the effort. I have been actively pursuing solutions for almost 5 years now....

What have you tried so far.

 

[Ajad]

That is what I'm afraid of. Everything tried thus far has been epic fail. I keep hoping that maybe someone will give bir...

Hi this may be sort of "out there" but I may have another solution for you to try. Have you tried reiki? I tried one session after many years of thinking about it. Finally one day I said what the hell that me try this and made appt. I can say it did relax me ( I'm never relaxed or never been in this way) I did hands off of course because of my issues. simce then I've taken a class got certified reiki level one I use it on myself in times of triggers. Sometimes it works sometimes not.
Another thing I just started reading/trying looked it up online is emotional freedom tapping. Tapping on certain areas of the body
Don't know how well this is working cause I just started. Also I'm in therapy trying out emdr. Have you tried any of this some sounds hokie but any things worth a try right?