Was Told By A Psychoanalytic That You Don´t Need "trauma Therapist" For Trauma

[Deleted member 20280]

Thanks for a good laugh!

Well what can I say, how much total "garbage" can a "so-called" professional spout in one sentence. FFS people its like asking a ten year old to drive a 44 tonne articulated lorry. Or even like say...... hmm let me think now..... (Laurie ponders a suitable sarcastic anecdote ........)............ oh yeah... lets just ask the beavers to clear an entire forest. We don't need lumberjacks with dirty great big chainsaws and stuff. A beaver can deal with a tree after all.

I speak from twenty years of experience of being passed from one "Therapist" to another to yet another and then a few still. When the final straw came they had done so much damage to me I literally "went BANG". A generalized therapist is good in their own right, they can recognise issues within a damaged persons psyche and then make an informed decision where to refer that patient onto. I don't see that many GP's seeing a cancer patient and then just "dealing with the patient" NO they "refer" that patient to an "Oncologist".

An emergency room triage nurse will evaluate the patients needs and "refer" that patient to the "appropriate department ***specialist**.

Well rant over I think....... hmmmmmm.......... I rest my case. :)

 

[radicalgratitude]

How long do you want to be in therapy? Because you are looking at a lifetime if you go with a generalist.

 

[Abstract]

I've been trying to find words to "speak" on the forum again but this thread did it for me.

a therapist specialized on trauma, was like a general physician specialized on colds....

It's this that really got up my nose.

What makes it so irksome is that you were discussing trauma in the context of PTSD. The way a professional should automatically think of it. There may be many different takes on the word trauma in different contexts but he knows exactly what context you are using it and his answer makes me think of someone being a bit defensive and playing with terminology to evade the real question - which I am guessing is how much he knows and has worked with PTSD.

In my opinion t's treatment rooms are filled with abuse, serious stressors, loss and events that can potentially lead to PTSD trauma. Just taking one of those as an example - a lot of abuse is not something that can cause PTSD. It is abuse and very damaging but not criterion A. To take another - experiencing a "traumatic event" is not the same thing as being traumatised. None of the things listed is the same thing as PTSD. I think they are all awful and have potentially serious effects on peoples lives but the specific issues that come along with PTSD are a different thing entirely - because of our reactions. Abuse, misfortune, potential trauma and serious stressors may be the common cold of therapy but to imply that PTSD is is just ridiculous. Not in how common it is; not in how much general therapists can treat it and certainly not in how easy it is to get rid of. He is either showing his ignorance or is being manipulative.

Actually, there is probably a certain amount of trauma in general therapy - but trauma which is not being diagnosed, not being properly treated and not being understood.

Is it absolutely essential to have a t who is a trauma/PTSD specialist? No. Like Digger said there may be no other choice at times. But it is a huge help and preferable. And as someone who has a similar story to @laurie71 and had masses of not at all helpful therapy with general therapists I can personally attest to the possible downfalls. If he answered you in a straightforward way then it wouldn't bother me but this does!

 

[Abstract]

Actually his analogy probably perfectly describes aspects of the problem and not in the way he intended.

It's like someone going to their GP with severe respiratory symptoms and the GP treats it as a cold. It's actually lung cancer or cystic fibrosis but because the dr doesn't have understanding of these and doesn't have enough understanding of the nuances of the conditions he/she doesn't spot it and continues to treat it like a cold and wonders why treatment doesn't work.... so he/she carries on....

If there was no consultant/specialist available but the Dr was able to realise the gaps in their knowledge, realise what they are dealing with and be open to getting input then it wouldn't be so bad.

 

[Barconian]

What is a "psychoanalytic" anyway? Honestly, for such a big name, he sounds like an idiot. Trauma to the degree of developing PTSD isn't "normal" and it takes special training to treat it.

Why are there so many cranky people tonight?

What makes it so irksome is that you were discussing trauma in the context of PTSD. The way a professional should automatically think of it. There may be many different takes on the word trauma in different contexts but he knows exactly what context you are using it and his answer makes me think of someone being a bit defensive and playing with terminology to evade the real question - which I am guessing is how much he knows and has worked with PTSD.

:) Not bad lol

Why are you people so cranky tonight?

 

[radicalgratitude]

We spend so much time on this forum that, at least for us ladies, our pheromones have synchronized with each other and we are now on the same cycle. ;)

Joking aside, I don't know about anyone else, but I have a lot of anger that I'm dealing with right now. I hate my job, I hate my life, and I hate that the only thing that I am confident with is my ability to starve myself. So little things, like simply hearing about a therapist who thinks that any old therapist can treat PTSD, irk me. It gives me images of the dumb "Courage to Heal" workbook that did nothing to help me but that's what I got for $15 a session before forking over more than $100 a session for a real trauma therapist who doesn't depend on a book to get through to me. I don't want another person to waste their time.

I have a part that feels sorry already to anyone who was actually helped by "The Courage to Heal." I don't feel sorry enough to delete what I wrote. Hahaha I am cranky tonight. I think I just feel bitter.

 

[Abby]

Abby, what's going on? I remember you posting some time ago and you weren't seeing a trauma specialist then. I'm trying to remember and I may not be right but I think you weren't sure what your then therapist's specialty was and you didn't like to ask? Is that correct? Let's leave this psychoanalytic aside. If other survivors of trauma have already - some time ago - said they think it's important to see a trauma specialist, I have to ask... why are you asking again? Are you hoping for a different answer this time? Do you have a reluctance to finding and seeing a specialist trauma specialist? If so, for what reason? How have you got involved with this current therapist who's saying stuff like this - what led you to this person?

Hey Hashi,

well- that is correct. I am not seeing a trauma specialist at the moment, my T is specialized on eating disorders.

Yes, as I said, I read here and on numerous other places that people said: it´s really beneficial if not necessary to see a trauma specialist.

I am not hoping for a different answer. I was getting information about different types of trauma specialists in my region, insurance stuff etc.

Then this psychoanalytic, whom I am not seeing, my T isn´t an analytic, gave me this long answer about why I wouldn´t need that anyway etc. That confused me and made me unsure. You see, I don´t know if this is the correct translation. I live in Germany and a psychoanalytiker is a someone who is practicing psychoanalysis. Here, it´s what we call a form of therapy, where you come 3 times a week, for 3 years. Most of the time the patient talks and therapist is not saying a lot and is trying to remain neutral.

( I tried this once, it was like talking to a wall or a ghost).

It can only be done by someone who is holding a diploma or master in psychology along with the training for it.

Along with CBT and depth psychology (I think this is like psychodynamic therapy in english) psychoanalysis are the only types of therapy you can do, that will be payed by insurance, here.

I was confused, because this person was holding this high degree in psychology along with the 5 year training for being an analytic so he "should" know what he´s talking about.

I believe that you do need a specialist, it just makes sense, all the people talking for experience, not just here, I´ve heard it a bunch of times and I can relate to this personally, as I´ve written about in other posts.

I just found his remark confusing.

 

[Barconian]

It can only be done by someone who is holding a diploma or master in psychology along with the training for it.

Why?

 

[Pencil]

Or even like say...... hmm let me think now..... (Laurie ponders a suitable sarcastic anecdote ........)............ oh yeah... lets just ask the beavers to clear an entire forest. We don't need lumberjacks with dirty great big chainsaws and stuff. A beaver can deal with a tree after all

Or like the counselor a friend of mine was seeing, and who said - in reaction to childhood abuse: 'Well, that was awful but perfectly lawful!' - very cheerily.

 

[Lucycat]

It's like someone going to their general physician with severe respiratory symptoms and the GP treats it as a cold.

I know this is a worldwide forum, but here in the UK a GP is not a General Physician but a General Practitioner. A General Physician is a bit more specialised and is likely to work in respiratory disorders and other medical ( as opposed surgical) problems such as heart disease. It is General Physician in contrast to a General Surgeon. They are both more Specialised than our GP.

Your GP, might refer you to a General Physician. Your General Physician might refer you to a (more specialised) Respiratory Physician. Your Respiratory Physician might refer you to a ( More specialised) Cystic Fibrosis Physician. Your CF doctor might refer you to a CF Doctor who specialises in CF patients of an older age.

More point here is that there are so many levels of specialism and it is 'horses for courses'. You might hit it lucky and find someone who is not a specialist but has experience and a special interest.

There is now quite a lot of physical illness that is treated on a 'shared care' basis. By this I mean a Specialist in a big city taking overall responsibility for care, but treatment is delivered locally under supervision and guidance. In a remote area like this it is the preferred option rather than everybody moving to the cities. You cannot have an expert in every single condition working in every area. Here they would be sitting idle, as we have such a small population.

It is similar with Mental Health, in some respects. I am lucky I see a general Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN) for my therapy. He has a special interest in Trauma. He has a Supervising Psychiatrist who is an expert in Trauma and PTSD and has published articles in the professional journals. I do not feel like I am missing out at all by not having a Specialist Trauma Therapist.

 

[Lucycat]

psychoanalytiker is a someone who is practicing psychoanalysis.

In English we would call this a Psychoanalyst. Psychoanalytic is the adjective - as in 'a psychoanalytic style'.

However I am not being critical - I could not write this in German!!

 

[Abby]

Psychoanalyst, yes right. That´s what I meant.

Why?

I don´t know, that is just the regulation set by the insurance companies