Search results

Ah, pandora, I remember you! I just came back myself, probably just for a quick visit but who knows how long I'll stick around. Sounds like you are going through some stress but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe concentrating on the move and doing things to prepare for it will...

The NCAA sanctions were announced today--a $60 million fine that will instead fund advocacy and treatment of abuse victims, reduction in scholarships (and ability to attract players), and a ban from Bowl games for a few years. More importantly, I think, they vacated the championships they won...

Do a load of laundry and clean the spare room. I have been on vacation for a while and I made a to do list with the promise that every day, I had to accomplish just one thing. It doesn't always get done (some of the things are big tasks), but most days, and really helps me feel a sense of...

I depend on coffee in the mornings! I missed it recently and definitely had some caffeine withdrawal. I used to drink it all day, but I cut down a few years ago so now I just drink a large coffee (20 oz) in the first few hours of the day. I don't like lattes or mochas or any of that--just a...

I know this is an old post, but I thought I would throw my thoughts out anyway. I have been doing a self-defense oriented martial arts for several years now and I think it has helped my PTSD and peace of mind. It's been terrifically triggering though--it's not women only--but the teacher is very...

I love this book, and I recently bought another copy because some of the passages were banging around in my brain and I wanted to reread them. I am heartbroken by the end, when Oscar writes about his "backwards" wish, because I can relate so much to the desire that things somehow turn out...

I hate having workmen in my home, too. I live alone but I put on a fake wedding ring when I have strangers in the house and make sure there is a picture of me with a guy on the fridge. Being concerned about strangers in the house is something many women feel uncomfortable about--not just those...

I'm brave. Even when I am terrified I push myself to do things that scare me.

Grass

This, exactly. Even when I dedicate several days and get the whole house well-kept, I turn around and it's a filthy, cluttered mess a few days later. It's way too much for me to handle.

You won't be committed for this. Really. It's not even considered "crazy." I had the same fear, though! My therapist was the one who finally broke the news to me that I was dissociated far more than I was present. Rather than fighting it, I have learned to live with it, and it dominates my life...

When I first started treatment, my therapist and I tried like the dickens to get prevent and stop the dissociation in sessions. It didn't help; it was like having my fingers trapped in one of those straw traps--the more I pulled, the more I stayed dissociated. Finally we both stopped fighting...

It's tough to have strong reactions to something without totally understanding why, I agree on that! My therapist has been using the term a lot lately. We are working through my old memories, good and bad, because his theory is that the traumatic memories pop up with the least reminder and make...

My cat very much likes the winter fuzzy blanket I keep on the bed. I finally put it away for the season, because it made me so very uncomfortable to have him humping the blanket when I was trying to fall asleep.

Well, the 50 minute hour is pretty standard. The idea being, your therapist spends 50 minutes of your hour talking to you, and ten minutes tending to other aspects of your care (summary notes, treatment plan, billing, insurance, etc.). I know that my therapist also spends some of those ten...

Lovely painting, Ayesha--a real testimony to your growth. I bet your T will treasure it.

Like an unlatched storm door getting slammed open and shut by the wind, over and over again.

Agreed. After one of my parents died, I missed a week of school. When I went back to class, someone asked me where I'd been. I burst into laughter and said, My parent died! The poor person was horrified. I was just so overwhelmed and uncomfortable, it came out in giggles.

Do you mean to say that if someone does not respond well to a therapeutic situation in which s/he is pushed to be exposed to the trauma, then their symptoms are not severe? Can you clarify this?

Alli, my therapy is similar to yours. My therapist has often said, "You've been pushed to do what other people wanted often enough. You have to decide, now." He presents approaches--like prolonged exposure, or working through the physiological arousal, or going into cognitive distortions--but I...

Self-disclosure by a therapist can be tricky, because they have to be extremely vigilant about keeping the boundaries of the therapy relationship. That means they may share a few things, but they should not get into details or emotional information because then the therapy becomes about them as...

This is a great description, superjen. I find that my life gets limited by all the conditions I have on my interactions with people--noise, proximity, number of people in a group, their gender or size or vocal qualities, etc. Even though I am an introvert, I do love being with friends and...

Anthony, can you explain where the PTSD rate of 30% comes from?

It sounds like this is not a good match between the two of you, but that doesn't mean that every therapist in your area is lousy. Unfortunately, it can sometimes take some time to interview, try out, and weed out the many available therapists to find the best one for you. One thing that might...

Welcome to the forum. I relate to your description of recounting things emotionlessly in therapy, and to not being able to really remember lots of events. When I first described my traumas, I was totally wooden, and then the dam broke! It's a confusing time, the beginning of treatment. It sounds...