Do you tell your Therapist about this site?

[piratelady]

Apparently I’m just full of new threads today.

I got triggered, I’m trying really hard to work through it before therapy on Monday.

Last week when I struggled, Therapist asked me if I asked for help from anyone or used my supports. I lied because I didn’t want to tell him about this place and just said No.

This week, in his email reply, he specifically reminded me to use my supports. And I did! I asked for help here (no one locally could help with this stuff like you guys can).

For Monday’s appointment, I’m debating sharing my journal from when I got triggered. I’m also planning on working through the questions and suggestions from my other thread in my journal. I feel like if Therapist reads that he’ll know I didn’t come up with all those questions on my own.

I’ve never told him about this site. I’m convinced he’d come here and figure out my username or something, read my journal. I know that’s crazy for several reasons.

I’m curious if others have told their therapist about this site and if so, how did they react?

The suggestions in my thread are helpful, just thinking through them before I even write it all out. I know it would be beneficial for Therapist and I to talk through it too, it’s just a matter of how I accomplish that, lol.

 

[bellbird]

I’m curious if others have told their therapist about this site and if so, how did they react?

Yep :)
Mine reacted really well.
She's very pleased that I'm able to find support here in others who understand what it's like.

This forum is an important part of our safety plan (for non-emergency situations).

There have also been a number of instances where I haven't been able to verbally disclose things to her, and have instead shown her a post I've written in my trauma diary about it.

 

[Mee]

Yes.

Any one else who has find their therapist not wholly enthusiastic? My T sees online as social avoidance and encourages real life where I can use all my senses.

There are other things specific to my trauma why she’s not so enthusiastic.

 

[piratelady]

Now that I finished answering all those questions about my trigger, I really have to share that with therapist. I think it answers a lot of questions he’s been asking that I couldn’t quite verbalize. Maybe I should plan out how I’ll respond should he inquire on how I got there.

 

[Gs172003]

Yes and that was when I first joined. I mention it on occasion and she doesn't really say alot about it one way or another.

 

[somerandomguy]

My T knows about this place and MaleSurvivor, where I also participate, and is supportive.

My wife, on the other hand, is very UNsupportive of my participation in this place and MS and thinks that they hurt me more than help me.

 

[Sideways]

Yes.

My T is supportive, but is also a reality check. Whenever I go down the “I’ve been getting feedback from the forum about Issue X...”, I have to say that out loud.

And we are both instantly reminded that while support comes in many forms, a community of people who I have never actually met, who have limited insight into my real lived experience, and no therapeutic qualifications...has its place, and is often incredibly helpful, support is great - but has its limitations.

 

[susannahsays]

Yes. I frequent here and a couple other places, one of the other places much more frequently on a daily basis (and not a PTSD specific forum). I have actually shared a couple posts from the other places with her, maybe one each. Neither of those posts were about PTSD but about acting out episodes. One time I had done something harmful that went against an agreement I had with her and the other time I had made a mean face at her when she said hello to me in the waiting room. I was not trying to avoid talking to her by sharing the posts. I knew that left to my own devices, I would be extremely likely to approach face to face discussion of the topics in a really hostile manner unless I smoothed the way for myself ahead of time. I've improved about that and don't worry nearly as much that I'm going to go in there and have an attack come out when I intended an apology - so I don't need to use that strategy anymore.

Maybe because she had a chance to see how other people responded to my posts (I texted her links) and what I could gain from the interactions, she has been positive about me using online communities for help.

If she didn't like it, I would hear her out and consider what she said, but I'd be really unlikely to take the advice in this instance since the benefits are rarely superceded by any negatives and by and large outnumber them on a large scale for me personally.

 

[Deanna]

I've told her, but I really don't think she's checked out this site. She has two little kids and she sees kids for therapy, as well as adults. She's ready to go home! She's also a survivor, that's why I picked her.

 

[Gs172003]

I've told her, but I really don't think she's checked out this site. She has two little kids and she sees kids for therapy, as well as adults. She's ready to go home! She's also a survivor, that's why I picked her.

Mine is too. She was a Croatian refugee.

 

[EveHarrington]

I think I told her in passing? I belong to other forums which have a PTSD component, too. My posts over there are just to help so she couldn’t identify me. She doesn’t have enough time in her life to cyber-stalk me!

 

[MrMoonlight]

Yes, I told my therapist about this forum.

She encourages me to come here and use it and believes it's an important leg of support for me. She wants me to share more...be more open. I don't know if she reads my journal because we don't talk directly about. In the back of my mind, I think she may come here from time to time and I'm really okay with that and believe it would only serve as a good tool for my therapy sessions and progress if she did read my stuff. A couple of times she said something that made me think she was reading.