How to talk to a therapist about a traumatic event?

[Kieran]

Okay, so I've spoken to my therapist about my childhood S.A. However, I did not tell her that I only remembered my abuse because I witnessed something traumatic and similar happen to someone else. The thought of telling her this second bit scares me a little more than telling her about the initial trauma. Why is this? Any ideas on how I can tell her? I've considered writing it down, e-mail, just seems frightening.

 

[zoie33]

Whenever something is too upsetting for me to say or I know I'm going to start crying or dissociate doing it I usually write it down hand it to him at the beginning of the session he usually wants to read it out loud but if I tell him not to heal read silently he usually then stops every paragraph or so and makes comments I've always found that to be the easiest for me that way I can be sure that everything gets out in an orderly fashion and I'm not totally freaking out and just babbling

 

[Kieran]

I usually write it down hand it to him at the beginning of the session

This is helpful. But actually handing it to my therapist would be a challenge. Even something simple as e-mailing it.

 

[zoie33]

I can understand how you feel for me it's very easy to just hand it to him I just say I can't tell you here you'll have to read it. Personally I could never email my therapist about anything I have problems asking people for help and to me that would just be violating his space. I freak out when I have to email him concerning the scheduling issue if I emailed him something more vulnerable I think I would lose my mind before I saw him next and then I would never be able to face him it's much easier to just hand it to him in person and I can see his reaction and immediately. But that is just my experience I'm not the most normal human on the planet.

 

[NewBeginnings]

When I have mulled something over in my mind and I think I really want to share it but can't seem to figure out how I write it out and then if It still seems important I have brought it to a session and asked that she not read it then. I can't handle her reading what I write in front of me because I get so anxious and majorly dissociate. She has then read it between sessions and we talk at another time. She has. Even super supportive of my sharing and encourages me to write anytime I would like too.