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Military Different types of therapy

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Hi guys! How is everyone?

We've been having a difficult time around here lately. No need to get into t...
@leehalf I've been in trauma focused cognitive processing therapy for about 9 months, going initially once a week then every two weeks. I'm assuming that's different from talk therapy, but not entirely sure? my therapist said at my last session that we've almost completed treatment. It has been hugely beneficial for me. as with any therapy, the right therapist is key I think. i had a terrible experience with a therapist who was not trauma-focused, even though he said he had experience with treating PTSD on his resume. He was awful. Basically told me "I don't think its helpful rehashing the past" when that was exactly what I needed to do after keeping it inside for 30 years!
 
Hi guys! How is everyone?

We've been having a difficult time around here lately. No need to get into t...

You know the thing to ask him is why he lashes out. Maybe there is something you; another person or a situation happens that triggers him. I only speak with little knowledge of your situation, but I was a law enforcement officer whose spouse was violently kidnapped. As a result she suffered from severe PTSD for a long-time. I personally began struggling after colleagues and supervisors began downplaying the circumstances and believed that we should just get over it. They also refused to provide any support I asked for. Frankly, I think a few were trying to use it to their professional benefit. The situation culminated with a colleague making disparaging comments about my spouse’s inability to recover that led to a situation where I had to go to therapy. I went through CBT and it was helpful, but really it was the therapist who was helpful.


I ended up being wrongfully let go after passing all the testing placed upon me by my employer, but that is another story. The blessing in disguise was that after I was let go my spouse made the recovery I had been asking for help to acquire. Per conversations with many people in other organizations in my profession none of what happened with my employer would have happened in their organizations. Anyways, my family ended up being surrounded by Vets, who understood and listened. They are who helped us recover. Therapy is great but you have to find the right therapist. They will be able to adjust and help the individual. The best thing for anyone in the first responder profession who is dealing with trauma is to have colleagues who will listen in nonjudgmental ways, support them and their families and let them know when they cross a line they may not intend to. Offer constructive support for letting them know how to address their emotions if someone stirs them up at work. If you know whom they are close with and those people don’t mind working with them a lot, have those people work assignments together as often as possible. Keep them ignorant jerks that are out for himself or herself away from that person when able. To help to accomplish this you need to really get to know your guy and demonstrate your trustworthy so he can be fully open with you about what’s going on in his head. Share your own hardships, but never tell him how he needs to feel or handle things. Tell him how you want his career to go, but also be blunt about how the organization operates and if you think it won’t be a fit for him; also help by offering to find other work or be supportive as he interviews for other opportunities. Trauma is hard to deal with and it’s harder when people think it’s no big deal and careers should always come first even at unspeakable costs.
 
People have given you great advice here. The only thing I will add is that different types of therapy can help different aspects of recovery. Processing the trauma and taking it out of the primitive it's-happening-now part of the brain and giving it a narrative/moving it into the normal memory part of the brain is the fundamental aim of trauma treatment. It helps to reduce the triggers and flashbacks etc and the foundations of PTSD. EMDR and Trauma focused CBT are examples of ways to do this but there are other approaches that work too. Some like somatic work and find it helpful.

The other important point though is that processing those memories initially makes things worse and it can be necessary to first develop good coping skills. Especially if the person or those around thems safety at risk. DBT is excellent for a lot of people if they struggle to manage emotional states. CBT and mindfulness are other examples. Sometimes personality has been affected by long term trauma and these can help that too. Every day coping skills are really important. Most importantly you need to be safe so if he is being aggresive then its best to look at what he needs to manage himself better. You are the one that knows how bad or not this is. Trauma work needs some containment and what that looks like is different for different people.
 
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