Any Ddnos Or Did Patients Who Have Completed Therapy Successfully?

[Girlgirlgirl]

Hello, so I was diagnosed with Ddnos and PTSD. I try to focus on solutions in these types of forums and in general. I am currently getting therapy to work through traumatic material. Right now I am doing Emdr, later I plan to add on Somatic Experiencing. I was wondering, how long has therapy taken others in the past? Do you have any advice? Or treatment recommendations? I do yoga which is very helpful lol :)) also, those who are just doing therapy and not completed it can also share, of course-maybe say how long your therapist thinks treatment will take! I have read that it normally takes multiple years online and my therapist said it's "long", which is discouraging. Just any advice or comments from anyone!

 

[Bloomy]

Have you heard of the expression PTSD growth? For me when I learned about this it was like a light that got turned on. I also focus on solutions. I still refuse to let this PTSD and my past traumas beat me down.
About therapy I cant say since my therapi is not the same as yours. Mine is more like just support. But I know that focus on activity (all sorts really; long walks in nature, yoga, meditation, running, strenght and so forth) and having focus on food as medicine (nurture my organism) has helped me immense through the past years. Now I also go to a reflexolog and massage therapist to get out the stressors in my body.

I wonder - were do you see yourself in the future?

Take care - you can do this :-)

 

[caretothepeople]

Hello, so I was diagnosed with Ddnos and PTSD. I try to focus on solutions in these types of forums...

Since everyone is different and need different levels of support, it's hard to say what an expected time period for therapy is. The most important things is that after a few sessions you feel like you feel your therapist is getting to know you, that you are starting to understand their approach to working with people with trauma and that you can talk openly about your preferences for future treatment. You should feel safe and like you are making progress, even though that may be slow and gradual with a few steps forward and few steps back sometimes.

Mental health America has an overview of other therapy modalities that are often considered for PTSD, including CBT and exposure therapy. But it'd be important to discuss these options with your current therapist and even your primary care doc.

The National Center for PTSD has a great resource page with lots of information and tools for other self-help coping strategies that could help complement your yoga practice.

Unfortunately I cant post links here but if you Google you should be able to find both the MHA and Nat'l Center for PTSD pages.

 

[Girlgirlgirl]

Thank-you both! I will look into those links, @caretothepeople. @Bloomy: I am getting as many therapies to reduce symptoms as much as possible, so in the future, I see myself with greatly reduced symptoms to the extent that I will either not qualify for trauma disorders at all or that I will have a lot less symptoms to warrant a diagnosis. I have been doing EMDR and it's been reducing PTSD symptoms! The problem is, DDNOS takes A LOT longer to treat than regular PTSD since it's "complex", but, my plan is the same: get rid of symptoms. But yes, I do think I would benefit from more long walks in nature! I like hiking and need to do it more.

 

[BloomInWinter]

I have PTSD and DDNOS. Both are a lot better, and I can see a time in the not-to-distant future where therapy will end. I'm not there yet. I still have some frozen fragments which aren't being addressed while I'm dealing with a lot of personal stress.

The DDNOS is very frightening at times, still. I'll not even notice I've switched untIl I'm out of it and trying to chance down the triggers for the switching is nearly impossible since I can't remember what happened. But these episodes are less frequent, last for a shorter period of time, and I'm learning to trust that whoever is in charge of my psyche is equipped to handle most current situations.

I meditate with a group at least weekly. I started a drum circle, and it's like magic in making me feel better. I'm spending a lot more time in my art studio. The more I engage in creative pursuits, the more the traumatic material seems to become settled into the past.

 

[Girlgirlgirl]

oh glad to hear that BloomInWinter! I don't really know what you're talking about with the switching, is that common to all people with DDNOS?

also how long did it take for you to get to that point and if you used specific therapies what modality/ies did you use? (CBT, EMDR, etc.)

 

[BloomInWinter]

I have had many traumas since childhood. During one of the earliest ones, I sectioned off that part of my life deep in my subconscious, including all memories of that time, interests I had, hobbies, friendships, etc. I just "walked away" from it all without knowing that's one happened. That was my first "split" of my personality.

I did the same thing with many other time periods in my life. Also, the skills I gained during those times, causing me to be unable to "access" that knowledge, skills, and memories I needed unless I "switched" to that part of my "fragmented self" and I didn't even know I was doing it, though I knew something was terribly wrong.

My fragments aren't whole personalities, just big defensive walls between memories. The first I really began to face that yes, I was injured this badly was when I switched in front of two therapists in DBT. They ratted me out to my CBT therapist, (ha!) and he very gently starting bringing my different mannerism to my attention. Then he began to intentionally poke at the triggers causing me to 'switch' while in therapy to help my fragments become more aware of each other. This also has allowed me to gain back a lot more of my life skills I picked up and employ them now without having to "switch."

It was frightening before I learned how to accept the reality of my psychological injury. I stopped blaming, shaming, or hating on myself for being this way. It helped me survive. It's just no longer necessary so I'm working on it.

Once my therapists saw me "switch" I qualified for a lot more help. I've had Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy to gain distress tolerance skills and resilience. I started seeing the trauma therapist, and started doing EMDR. I've had family counseling to help me function better at home.

I first got diagnosed in 2015. It's been a long haul, but I'm doing very well now. The EMDR especially was very helpful in lowering the walls between my traumas in my brain so the periods of amnesia have finally revealed the traumas I couldn't access, allowing me to deal with them.

It's hard, but my life is SO much better in so many ways. I feel fortunate that my brain knew how to protect me until I was strong and stable enough to begin healing this stuff.

Every trigger I have has turned out to be linked to a trauma. Once I gained enough distress tolerance skills to be able to "follow" where the triggers were trying to lead me, I could identify that trauma. That became targets in EMDR. After EMDR on traumas, they no longer feel present, and they don't intrude in my current life. They lose their ability to hijack my fight-or-flight/hyper-reactive responses, and recede into the past. They become just memories instead of minefields of pain and anguish.

I can't recommend therapy enough. I could absolutely not heal my "self" because I couldn't perceive all the fragments. It really does take a lot of talking and work to set those down. But oh my gosh, it feels so much better!

 

[Girlgirlgirl]

I'm glad to hear that:) Yeah I am doing Perceptual Motor Development exercises and EMDR currently, and I plan to add Somatic Experiencing at some point. I'm very goal-driven and have hopes that the therapies will help me but it's good to hear someone else has improved greatly on similar issues that I have as well, gives me encouragement!!! because sometimes when the triggers get really bad, I feel like, will I really ever get better or is this just making me worse? so good to know thank-you:roflmao:

 

[Sandstone]

@BloomInWinter That was a brilliant post, summing up what I think is happening and what I think I need, and above all offering HOPE

Thank you

 

[Jessimessi]

@BloomInWinter that was an amazing and extremely detailed explanation describing ptsd and ddnos as I experience it. Thank you

 

[BloomInWinter]

Whoops...I said I was first diagnosed in 2015. It was 2010. Sheesh.

 

[mytai]

I was diagnosed in 2012 I believe (maybe 2011) with DID, PTSD has been diagnosed for over 13 years now. I've been in good therapy with my current therapist coming up on 3 years now. Only let her know about the DID diagnosis less than a year ago, although she had suspicions about it and asked several times. Her style is dynamic, uses what works in the moment and with who ever is fronting. She's still establishing relationships with some parts (alters), but has improved things with a few.