Preparation For Trauma Therapy

[anthony]

I don't like it that you've decided my PTSD isn't complex or severe, when I said it was.

Actually, I didn't say that, you said that / you told yourself that from my statements that did not insinuate such. Here is an example of age issues, maturity and experience in reading vs. assuming. Again, please define where I said "Alli, your symptoms are not complex or severe", because what I said is "so I am interested to know the severity of your PTSD.... and ..... You seem to be referencing more lower severity of PTSD compared to what is being said in the statements here regarding severe and complex spectrums."

Please confirm? Maybe this does have something to do with age after all?

I know myself and I know my level of distress and suffering, and please believe me when I say it is high!

And that's acceptable Alli, however; you're on a website where I, nor another, know this unless it is asked. A website where secrets are not encouraged as it hinders healing trauma. A website where it is text, not face to face.

And to answer your statement about age and psychology, they actually have a lot to do with one another. Psychology is built on the foundation of experience, quite the same as medical is, and experience comes from age / time. You can be a theoretical genius at 20, but dumb as hell in life due to the lack of life experience based around that theoretical knowledge. I have a 19 & 20 year old around here... I see it all too often.

Here is my assessment based on my experience dealing with PTSD. You are in absolute avoidance of dealing with your trauma it seems. You have surpressed it / pushed it aside as much as possible, and have instead turned to giving others advice as a mechanism to cope vs. you actually giving others anything about yourself. I couldn't tell you how many times I have seen it here from people with complex trauma.

If what you say is true in relation to your trauma, then you are downgrading your trauma from complex to severe, as nobody endures that much trauma without it being complex, and without 99.99% having an Axis II disorder, being personality based. If you know psychology as well as you say, then you know what I am saying is spot on the money.

Do you mean to say that if someone does not respond well to a therapeutic situation in which s/he is pushed to be exposed to the trauma, then their symptoms are not severe? Can you clarify this?

Kers, I was agreeing with your statement.

 

[allitherapy]

You seem to be referencing more lower severity of PTSD compared to what is being said in the statements here regarding severe and complex spectrums."

This to me implies that you were saying I have a low severity PTSD. Perhaps I misunderstood what you were trying to say. This speaks nothing of my level of maturity.

I have gone into details of my trauma in my trauma diary, where I felt comfortable doing so. I do not feel the need to air my dirty laundry for anyone searching on google to see.

I may be young, but that doesn't mean I am immature. I am far from it. I should note here that I am not accusing you of saying I was, but I am just making a statement. As far as life experience goes, I also don't think age is such a huge factor when your life looks anything like mine has. I have worked full time since the age of 16 while going to high school, an IVY league university, and now medical school. I have more life experience than some people 5-10 years my senior.

I am absolutely NOT in avoidance of dealing with my traumas. I have a wonderful therapist whom I see every week and work VERY hard to process through my traumas, one by one, slowly but surely making excellent progress. Yes, I do like to give advice and help others with their traumas as well. I'm going to be a doctor, I like helping people! I have gone into details of some of my experiences in my trauma diary, where I am comfortable doing so. I haven't found it necessary to post most of it in the more public parts of the forum.

I do not have an Axis II disorder. I must be part of that .01%

Again, if you'd like to know more, please send me a PM as I don't think this is at all relevant to this thread anymore. I have no problem sharing with you the horrific details of my past. (See, I'm not avoiding it!) I just don't want to do it here, where it can be searched, and I could be found by someone I don't want finding me.

 

[anthony]

Now that is a very mature response Alli... nice work. I will read in your diary.

 

[Froggie]

Yep - I just want to reiterate that. It is sooooo important. I have been doing trauma therapy, with extra stresses added due to problems at work. I don't think either the work issues, or the trauma therapy issues, would have been enough to push me over the edge - but combined, it was more than I could handle.

this is where the former Ts that were following me started to convince me that I should start taking care of myself and accept that I was going to be on welfare to permit a convalescence periode if I didn't want to completely crack up. then came the part where they evaluated my ressources : what I had, what I didn't have, what I was using, etc. then you go into that big black hole... to be confronted with the source of the PTSD, but also with the ressources : be they natural capacities or acquired capacities, to handle the feelings and memories.

Then you can really appreciate those Ts that handled your case with such expertise and compassion

 

[Froggie]

I do not have an Axis II disorder. I must be part of that .01%

Alli, I think you have probably come up with something important here, the less Axis disorders one has seems to have an impact on the PTSD, it doesn't lessen the fact that it is PTSD as it is still felt and is hard to deal with as an everyday thing. I'm truly glad that you are able to still go to university and I know you have chosen a field that requires a great deal of energy (physical, mental and psychological) as some who are close to me have done those studies. You have won my respect in your determination to do what you have to do with your life.

Another thing I would like to point out, the fact that one gets the required help soon after the source of the PTSD has a great difference in the outcome, and also, if there are several things that happen at different times in during a time line that cristalizes the PTSD, the harder it is to find a some what "normal" life afterwards.

 

[Deleted member 5760]

I think the fact that alli was still able to get a degree and go to university and get those letters after her name is nothing short of amazing.

Now - back to the topic - perhaps someone who stresses you and hinders that ability creates an environment which is unstable. So, alli - IMHO it speaks volumes that you were still 'able'. Case by case basis. Anyone who creates a voice in your head saying 'you can't do it' --- out they go for someone with the genuine tenacity to keep going. That's the point at which (however childish it may seem) you place your fingers in your ears and go 'I can't hear you'. That in itself is eliminating a stressor.

 

[anthony]

There is a fundamental flaw in the training of a therapist which is now finally being reviewed for change towards trauma, as that is that therapists are training to never assign blame to a patient, even if it the truth, along with telling them that they are at fault for something, if they clearly are. Therapist are literally trained to lie, as the current training dictates that this type of approach is retraumatizing, however; physicians are finally starting to see that to get through to the more severe end of the spectrum in PTSD, being the majority on this site, that they need to start encompassing honest over what might happen, ie. retraumatization.

They finally are getting it, that they could not work out why these patients aren't having much success with therapy... and its because they actually need to be told the truth, they need to be questioned to realise the truth, they need to assign blame accurately for their brain to comprehend, they need to stop being handled with kid gloves, which is what they have been doing with the difficult cases. Finally they are beginning to now use complex and severe traumatised persons in open studies.

It pisses me off the current state of mental health opinion against severe and complex PTSD, being, if they aren't showing significant signs of improvement after 12 sessions of therapy, then there is little hope for them to improve. What absolute nonsense... these are the mental health industry findings on severe and complex PTSD cases... give up! The beauty I read last week... just accept they will have to be in therapy the remainder of their life, and as a therapist your job is to try and calm them. What, forever? Seriously? This is the mental health industry?

I just shake my head at times in disbelief.

 

[Iam]

Hmmmm.......my Ts must be exceptions then. They have readily several told me that I am at fault in certain instances, not to mention that what I choose to believe, is exactly that.......a choice. Honestly, I am very thankful for it ;o)

 

[anthony]

Yep... another difference to a good trauma therapist vs. therapist.

 

[Iam]

IDK Anthony, one of mine is a trauma t and the other isn't. I think having a trauma t is essential in dealing with PTSD, but a T not trained in trauma should be honest in their assessment of a patients actions as well. I think it would be better stated as a good therapist vs a poor therapist.

Both of mine hold me accountable for my actions. It may be possible that this is because I am also working on spirituality (part of the reason I choose both of them is that they are both Christians). While my past traumas and PTSD may hold the reasons for my current wrong actions and beliefs, they do not excuse me from, nor absolve me of my responsibility for and the consequences of them. (e.g. my husband says something that triggers me and I totally go off on him, abusing him emotionally or physically). As in many different faiths, acknowledgement of one's wrong actions & even wrong thinking is required, as is a willingness to change. I won't go into the forgiveness part of my faith as I do not think that is relevant here.

A person cannot make true changes in one's life without doing an honest inventory. I believe it is a therapist's responsibility to help their patients do this. By definition that requires an honest assessment by the therapist and leading the patient to make true assignment of responsibility on their part.

As an example, it hurt like hell when my T pointed out that I had put myself in the situation in which I was gang raped when I was 13. Does that make it ok that they raped me? ABSOLUTELY NOT, nobody should be forced or taken advantage of (in my case too intoxicated to fight back) but...... I do bear the responsibility for having put myself in that situation, even though I was young and naive.

Maybe I am reading the "placing of blame" that you stated wrong? Or is this what you are talking about?

 

[anthony]

Are yes... Christian therapist are slightly different in training. The actual courses here, it is completely different if you want to be a Christian counsellor vs. counsellor, then advance into specialty areas, ie. abuse, substance, family, relationships, etc. Be interesting difference if they train a normal therapist to never assign the patient blame, yet take a difference approach through the Christian method! Interesting... maybe they just tossed training out the door, like I would expect most to do, after becoming therapists!!!

All training I have ever done, its all lovely in theory, usually completely irrelevant to the OJT requirements, normally doesn't comply with industry standards, and when they say its doctrine, they often mean training doctrine, not real world doctrine.

 

[Tinyflame]

I too believe you have to 'push it' and face hard facts. The difficult part is trying to untangle 'hard facts' from self-limiting, incorrect constrictive thinking and habits, for me; that is to face facts but still learn and preserve hope. But I think you have to (well, speaking just for me) make your mind up to change. I don't know what I'll change 'into', but I have to go on faith it will be better than what it is now. I think this site helps to do that, and the honest feedback of others.
-Thank you-