Scared - Restarting Therapy

[Femaleptsd]

I was having therapy for about a year. It was supposed to be emdr but it proved too triggering for me and if was decided I wasn't ready for that. I'm not too sure if I can pinpoint the type of therapy that continued after that. It was with the same therapist and she was trained in cbt, but even she admitted it wasn't that.

She then got pregnant and went on maternity leave and so I was passed to another cbt therapist. However, we really didnt gel and so it was decided that it wasn't the best treatment for me.

They decided to put me forward for cat therapy and art therapy and so I've been on the waiting list for the past 6 months. I got my appointment through and it's for next week. I should be overjoyed, this is what my care coordinator and psychiatrist have been waiting for. And yet, I'm really scared.

Whilst I was with my last therapist, I really struggled between sessions. It felt like for an hour I was allowed to open all these boxes but then had to pack them away for the rest of the week, something I really struggle to do. I became quite suicidal and ended up on the psych ward twice. There is no way I want to go back to that place, and I'm scared that going in to therapy again, that I will.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

You might want to start with coping skills and a bit of improving your daily life before jumping into EMDR and CBT. That way it's more easy to cope the rest of the week.

Just a thought.

 

[Femaleptsd]

That was my last therapy (emdr and cbt), this new is cat and art therapy.

I spent a lot of time with my previous therapist looking at personal coping skills and yet the nature of what I need to talk about, left me feeling unsafe. Maybe this new type of therapy won't be as invasive as emdr felt

 

[piratelady]

You definitely have to work on coping skills and be able to turn to those in times of distress. Trauma therapy, as you said, opens up lots of boxes. It is hard to put it away until the next appointment. Without those coping skills trauma therapy will likely cause more problems than it will solve in my opinion.

I spent a good 6-8 months getting my life in order and learning to cope before we even started considering doing trauma work. I think that was the right choice.

 

[ms spock]

Grounding and containment are important. Your therapist really should have worked on it with you.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

I spent a good 6-8 months getting my life in order and learning to cope before we even started considering doing trauma work.

Me too. :tup: It really really helped in my recovery.