Search results

Here in Philly, it is mostly sunny with a high of 43 F today. But yesterday it was sunny and close to 60, which was a delight. And less than two weeks ago we had the polar vortex with negative-degree temps. So yeah, the planet is going to sh*t.

I’ve been hospitalized somewhere around 25 times, not including drug/alcohol rehabs. Some were general psych, some eating disorder, some dual diagnosis, and I think 4 in Sheppard Pratt’s trauma disorders unit. A lot of psych wards are really just to keep you safe for about a week. Most do not...

I think the best thing to do in these situations is to have an honest and frank discussion with her about your therapeutic relationship. This can be extremely difficult (it always is for me), especially because the feelings of abandonment can come with a lot of shame. But I have found that it is...

I don’t know much about EMDR, but I am about to start prolonged exposure therapy, and that involves telling things in as much sensory detail as possible. Over and over (not looking forward to it!). Maybe @Snowflake ’s therapist is just trying something a bit different because she thinks it will...

I haven't been there for a year and a half, so things may have changed. You have to get your therapist/psychiatrist to fill out a long form about you and they look at it in their big staff meeting and make determinations as to who can benefit, who fits into their milieu, and who doesn't. When I...

I struggle with alcohol and drugs and I hate AA. I went to AA meetings for years and liked it in the beginning, but that was back when my only trauma was in childhood. When I had a really significant trauma in 2012, I backed off from meetings and my friends in the program. I just can’t get with...

@NightSky , I totally understand this. The trauma that I do remember, I always think that it's not really trauma, and that the worst of it was my fault anyway. So I am very ashamed to tell therapists about it. I have been labeled with PTSD and a dissociative disorder by many shrinks, but I still...

I think a DBT group would be great. Standard DBT programs are very intense and rigorous skills-based programs featuring both group and individual therapy. You have weekly homework, you fill out a daily diary card, and you are expected to use the skills you learn every day. I think if we could...

I prefer female therapists. My perpetrators were all male, so I'm a lot more wary of men than women, but that's mostly just normal people. I saw a male therapist for a little while and I wasn't afraid of him or anything (it's not exactly fear...it's more like being hypervigilant around men)...

It does sound like you were really open and honest and that takes a lot of guts when it is about something you are very ashamed of. I don't talk about my relationship with my current therapist pretty much ever, but the last therapist insisted we talk about it pretty much all. the. time. I hated...

I must have heard that about The Center at PIW in DC, then. I’m not trying to bash any place; just repeating what was told to me.

Extreme sports in NZ. (F*ck camping.) Hermit crab or spider? (Hermit crabs are basically giant spiders, IMO.)

Hey. Did you end up going to River Oaks? I'd love to hear about it if you did. I've been to Sheppard Pratt four times, I think. It typically took like a week to hear back from them regarding the admissions decision and 2-3 weeks for the waiting list. But my psychiatrist said that it's been...

This is Doofy. Sometimes he takes his tongue out to smell things and forgets to put it back in.

All I've had so far today is coffee, seltzer, water, and a couple of pieces of my mom's Italian Easter bread. It's a traditional Italian thing, just a kind of thick, sweet bread with a lot of eggs in it. We call it buchalad but I think my grandfather made up that name. There's also controversy...

Welcome. I totally relate to feeling numb all the time. For a while, I tried to write down a word for what I was feeling about every 30 minutes every day using a "feelings wheel" to help me find the words. Most of the time all I could say was ok, anxious, or just a question mark. I'm not sure if...

Welcome. I think you'll find a lot of kindred spirits here. A lot of people who can understand what you've been through and are going through. I also didn't get diagnosed with PTSD until I was...I think 28. I didn't think my childhood trauma was that bad, so I was kind of surprised when I got...

@Muttly, I just wanted to add to the other voices telling you that we hear you, validate your feelings, understand, and don't judge. I have totally felt pretty much everything you have described. I especially related to the above quote. Not only do I often regret reaching out for help, but I...

@recoveringfromptsd, I am so sorry that you are struggling so much, and that even while you have this terrible loss to deal with, you now have the stress of a financial burden on top of it. If you are unable to cover the costs that the extra help used to cover, have you considered starting a...

Maybe next time you could wait in your car and your therapist could come out and get you when he or she is available. I hate being in a small, crowded room, too, so it's totally understandable that you couldn't wait there for a long time. You tried your best and stayed as long as you could.

A lot of the times I've been hospitalized I haven't wanted to talk to anyone. Also, when you're in the hospital, you can't have your cell phone and there are only specific times that you can use the phones there, which you have to share with other patients and are out in common areas where...

I have actually been on both sides of this problem. I was abused in childhood, but I also had some trauma when I was 28 and 30-31 that had a devastating impact on me and really changed things. When I was in college, I never really enjoyed sex, but I liked that it made me feel attractive and...

Welcome to the site, Rose. I think you will find a lot of people you can relate to here. It's a very welcoming and accepting community. I wish I could go back to not being on meds. I've been on meds for a very long time, and they just keep adding more and more between my outpatient psychiatrist...

Welcome! I'm so sorry to hear you're struggling so much. Remember that depression makes you think that nothing is ever going to get better, so those extreme negative thoughts about your future being hopeless might just be the depression talking. You can't know how things will turn out. With good...

There are plenty of meds you can take that aren't addictive and won't make you dependent. I wouldn't recommend going on benzos, which are addictive. I take a few things, but the main one is Trazodone, which was a lifesaver. I could only sleep 1-2 hours a night before I started it and now I sleep...