Anxiety About The End Of Therapy

[Nicky31]

:hello:Hi everyone and thanks to Anthony for creating this site.

I've had PTSD for over a year now although it wasn't diagnosed for about 8 months during which time my life slowly started to fall apart and I couldn't understand why I felt and behaved the way I would. My PTSD has been caused by a serious incident at work and what has compounded this is the lack of support or acceptance of responsibility from my employers that I am now left with a debilitating condition.

I'm having a bad couple of days following my penultimate session of EMDR. It was really intense and has left me exhausted and questioning where the person i was has gone and why she won't come back. I don't recognise myself most of the time. I've lost all my confidence, I'm hyper anxious and vigilant, feel unattractive, get exhausted after menial tasks etc... you all know the score. So now I'm anxious that my therapy ends in a few weeks. Have any of you got any tips as to things i can do to look after myself? I'm not on meds and I have a great partner and friends but I worry about piling too much on them. They've already done so much...

 

[bonnecanyon]

Hi Nicky

Welcome to the forum. You will find great support here without judgment.

I was diagnosed in April and wasn't sure what to do about it. Then this past summer had a really hard time - couldn't deal with work - was crying all the time, etc. I finally started counseling last month and found this forum - it has helped immensely.

Connecting with other people who suffer the same condition has turned my life around - so keep posting!

See you in the chat room.
BC :smile:

 

[RosieNorth]

Hello Nicky 31 Some things that might help- long long walks, especially if you can be in nature. If it's a really stormy day, that can really fit the mood!
painting, writing poetry or some other form of expression
reading and writing on this website, or talking with people with a similer problem
Take care!!

 

[wattle]

Hello Nicky31, welcome to the forum:)
I presume your psycholgist has armed you with how to breath, make sure you keep that up and as RosieNorth and bonnecanyon have said this forum and it's members have a mountain of very useful informantion and above all support. If things get out of hand for you you can always go to your local hospital.
I think it must be a fairly common reaction to feel worried when therapy is coming to an end.

 

[suzie q]

So glad you found the forum to help you sort all this out.

I know what you mean by piling to much on family and friends. This is a great place to get first hand experience, strength and hope on how to handle the symptoms of PTSD.

I know you said your EMDR would be ending soon and that you think therapy will be over. My experience has been that once I unlock and process one facet of trauma, another will present itself for therapy. Take things one at a time and don't overwhelm yourself with what you are going to do...maybe just look at today only. You'll find all the help your looking for if you continue to reach out for answers.

I think that PTSD is a life long of questions and how-to's. See you around the forum!! :hello:

 

[Nicky31]

I just wanted to say thanks so much for your encouragement and support. I have found your comments really helpful.

Suzie, you are right about other things cropping up and they already have done this year. Over the weekend I started making plans to find extra external support. I found the forum :smile: and also a local charity who specialise in PTSD and they are happ to have a referral from my doc. Even if I don't need it, I know it's set up ready to go.

Wattle, breathing is great and I also use grounding as it seems my legs are always the first thing to start fidgeting pre panic attack. Does anyone else here use grounding as a technique?

Rosie, I think my saviour has been my walks and reconnecting with the wildlife that I love so much. I'm close to a canal here so I get to take peaceful walks with my partner or friends and like you say whether it's sunny, stormy or snowy it has reminded me (just by hearing the birds sing) of the things that are important to me. I used to write a lot of poetry in my younger days and I like this idea of getting back into it. I do find though that when I'm really bad I can't face writing at all. Do you ever feel like that? I worry it will tip me over the edge.

BC, Even in the few days that I've been on here it has helped tremendously. I wish you well with your therapy too and look forward to seeing you in chat.
Nic x