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Bipolar, cptsd and anxiety array of disorders

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ILoveLife

MyPTSD Pro
Good morning all :) Not sure if this is the right place, since it talks about a bunch of stuff but here goes, and sorry for the lenght.

So I have quite the list of mental issues, bipolar, psychosis, CPTSD issues including dissociation (dp/dr), Pure-O (pure obsessional ocd, mental compulsions) and social and general anxiety. They are under control with meds and therapy, I'm doing IFS in therapy (which I'm aware isn't for everyone, but it fits me well), have a great team helping me, both therapist and psychiatrist are very caring and helpful.

Recently, because I was doing so well, my symptoms had dimished a great deal and I was working hard in therapy, my meds were reduced which I thought caused a temporary meltdown of my mental abilities. I couldn't focus on anything, was very forgetful, had nightmares every night, long obsessional trips down memory lane that I couldn't stop, sleeping a lot, a lot of depersonalization, depressive bouts, hypomanic bouts, you name it.

Luckily, my therapist helped a lot, we talked to the parts that were "melting" and the issues suddenly stopped miraculously after that session. We realized it wasn't from the decreased dosages of meds, but a reaction to trauma therapy, it triggered a bunch of things and my amygdala hijacked, bringing all of my mental symptoms out to play and my behaviour a bit off, very childish and irritated to say the least. My therapist is on vacation now and we were taking a break from drilling too deep into the childhood trauma.

So I'm wondering if anyone has any idea on how to handle this for next time it happens, because I'm sure it will happen again. The way I've dealt with it since I'm medicated and not running off to drugs or alcohol, was just to sleep more than usual. But now that I'm working that has become an impossibility. My therapist said I have the tools in me to handle it, but to be honest he has more trust in me than I have in myself.

Any input is appreciated.
Thanks so much for reading.
 
So your therapist hasn't taught you any coping skills? You haven't spent any time practicing those skills?

I don't think you should be going anywhere near trauma work until after your therapist has taken the time to ensure that you know coping skills and are able to use them.
 
From what I understand of IFS is that is important to have agreement amongst your parts. I'm not sure where you are at in the process of communicating with your parts, but I know that is an important aspect. Also, placing your parts in certain places or assigning them certain tasks can be helpful.
 
EveHarrington, he did. We spent a lot of time on coping skills before we initiated trauma therapy. I was looking for more input, as therapists are not all-knowing and might miss something.

anonymous, that's where we at right now.

Thank you both
 
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