Which Therapy Has Worked Best For You?

[jmni]

If you haven't tried all of them it's ok. I'd like to know your opinion of what you tried, generally what you did and how effective it was.

I am especially interested in EMDR, exposure, and CBT.

 

[Abstract]

Thanks for the thread jmni. I would also like to know what it was about a treatment that made it less helpful or more helpful and was thinking of starting a thread about that. Shall be interested to hear what people say here.

 

[PioneerSon]

Greetings all! From my research and personal therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the only one that has worked for me. Essentially, I need(ed) to change how I was thinking about events long past that I have absolutely no control over today. You might ask your therapist about it, or do some research on line... I found some excellent documents in Google Scholar on the subject.

Peace...:)

 

[surviving_it_all]

I've tried CBT. It takes a long time to work and a lot of engagement. I have been doing CBT since July. It is not easy. Its something you have to work on daily. Sometimes, my CBT thought balancing works amazingly. Sometimes, I can't get to it fast enough. My therapist wants me to keep a grounding technique in my "back pocket". He may mean literally, but I think he wants me to have a go to grounding technique. I love using affirmations and thought balancing to talk my out of thought distortions that anxiety created. For me personally, CBT works wonders. Its allowed me to see when its a rational thought and when its a thought distortion of PTSD. Beyond that, it has enabled me to be able to correct these thought distortions by myself. For daily incoming small stimulii, CBT is long-term sustainable for me personally.

I have not fully completed EMDR. I have started EMDR with my therapist, but we haven't gone so far into the treatment. I hope that EMDR helps me settle much larger past events rather than little stimuli.

I have not experimented with exposure therapy. I was recently exposed to a stimuli that has bothered me for a long time. It set me back because it transported me to a very bad state of mind for a week. After that, I saw large improvements in my reaction to such stimuli. I was able to settle a fear I have had for four years. It would be cool to be able to afford such treatment. I definitely think it will be most helpful, but also the most painful. With exposure, one has to relive a situation. I was raped four years ago. I was exposed to a stimuli recently by accident. For about a week, I literally relived my rape in my mind. The emotional flashback came for a week afterwards but overall it was a positive experience. Its was very effective but also very painful. I would recommend treading lightly if using exposure therapy.

I hope this helps.

 

[therapybankrupt]

EMDR in process. It is my hope this does the healing I need and deserve.

 

[jmni]

I would also like to know what it was about a treatment that made it less helpful or more helpful and was thinking of starting a thread about that.

Maybe one of the mods can edit this thread to include that.

Do any of you think it is better to start with one and move on to the next after making progress or completing the first one?

 

[Echo--Charlie]

The important thing is to find the therapy which works best for you. It can be helpful to discuss what therapists your counselor has been trained in. Whatever they have been trained in (or comfortable in using) is what they are likely to offer. The VA/DOD Clinica Practive Guidelines recognize Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and EMDR as being effective. The Army Surgeon General also recognized all three as being effective in the treatment of PTSD (policy memo 12-035). Yet, the VA often does not train therapists in EMDR so it is never offered- the Army does train their therapists in all three models. I know many VA counselors who seek EMDR training on their own expense because it works so well. As a vet, I am for whatever works - I believe vets deserve effective treatment in a timely manner. There is a website in which vets talk about EMDR helping them they had tried other modesl. You can check it out by googlilng "Soldier-Center" and clicking on "resultswithemdr.html."

 

[Abstract]

Maybe

Sorry jmni:oops: I don't want to interfere with your thread! I was more just sharing what I had been considering.

I have had some experiences but didn't want to share too early so I will come back and do so soon. Some treatments that have helped a lot of people have not helped me and I am still trying to pinpoint what suits different people and and why. And only partly because I think it will help me figure out what I need. I guess the other reason is to try to understand other people who react so differently to me as managing relationships in general has its challenges for me.

 

[Echo--Charlie]

The important thing is to find a therapy that works best for you. The VA/DOD Clinical Practice Guidelines (2004,2010) recognize Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) as all being effective. In addition, the Army Surgeon General recognizes all three therapies (PE, CPT, and EMDR) and being effective in the treatment of PTSD (Policy memo 12-035). Your therapist is likely to offer the one they are comfortable in using.

The VA trains their therapists in PE and CPT, not EMDR. Why most VA centers do not offer EMDR is hard to understand since it is so effective and they recognize it in their Clinical Practice Guidelines as being effective. But the VA pushes PE and CPT. In most VA centers you are not likely to be offered EMDR unless your therapist has sought training.

Again, as an old retired soldier, I am for whatever works. Veterans deserve effective treatment in a timely manner. If your treatment is not working find out other options. You should not have to wait 3/4+ weeks between appointments. If you want to hear vets talk about the effectiveness of EMDR you can Google "Soldier-Center" and click on "resultswithemdr.html." There are many vets who travel from out of state seeking EMDR. Many are treated on a pro bono basis due to a grant from the McCormick Foundation.

 

[LittleGirlLost]

My trauma therapist and I are using the Internal Family Systems model and it's working wonders for me, but that doesn't seem to be a particularly common treatment from what I'm reading on here.

 

[surviving_it_all]

My trauma therapist and I are using the Internal Family Systems model .

What is that?

 

[LittleGirlLost]

I didn't know anything about it until she introduced me to it. We saw each other about three times and then I went back to my parents' place for Christmas and she sent me away with a couple of chapters from a book about it and it's only in the past couple of weeks that we've really started delving into it. I find it extremely helpful because it's about embracing every part of yourself, which, as an actor, is what I want to do anyway, and because one of my coping mechanisms was escapism, so my imagination is active and powerful and IFS lets it go to town.

It also overlaps a good amount with Robert Landy's approach to drama therapy, too, which makes a lot of sense for me as an actor.

I'm not really sure how to explain it myself, so I was going to post links, but apparently I'm not allowed to do that until I have a higher post count. So I will attempt to cheat.

So. You might try the Wikipedia article about it. And then the official website for it is www dot selfleadership dot org.