Undiagnosed hello, just found this site. untreated symptoms of PTSD from assault by my ex.

[interstellar505]

Hello! I'm undiagnosed with PTSD and struggling with most of the main symptoms I have researched. Early this year my former boyfriend (who is now my ex, gladly) assaulted me. I didn't know it was assault until i found out one day...oh, wow, I have a story to tell. I will not go into full detail, but to be brief, he changed my sexuality (I am asexual) and made me a hardcore feminist. I have not yet told my therapist because I have difficulty opening up to specific people. Does anyone have ideas on how to deal with flashbacks that cause insomnia, and/or any stress-free ways to tell my therapist? Thank you so much.

 

[arfie]

hello interstellar. welcome to the forum.

Does anyone have ideas on how to deal with flashbacks that cause insomnia, and/or any stress-free ways to tell my therapist?

a post such as this one can help me deal with those flashbacks and insomnia. in my own case, the flashbacks and insomnia are running buddies. they are not the same, but addressing one of them typically addresses the other. sharing about ^it^ within my therapy support network helps me get ^it^ out of my head long enough to let me get back to living. i consider therapists to be a vital part of my therapy support network.

a stress free way accomplish the task remains beyond my own reach, but navigating my way through the stress to get the job done pays big healing dividends. the gain is worth the pain.

but that is me and every case is unique.

steadying support while you find your own way. welcome aboard.

 

[interstellar505]

hello interstellar. welcome to the forum.

a post such as this one can help me deal with those flashbacks and insomnia. in my own case, the flashbacks and insomnia are running buddies. they are not the same, but addressing one of them typically addresses the other. sharing about ^it^ within my therapy support network helps me get ^it^ out of my head long enough to let me get back to living. i consider therapists to be a vital part of my therapy support network.

a stress free way accomplish the task remains beyond my own reach, but navigating my way through the stress to get the job done pays big healing dividends. the gain is worth the pain.

but that is me and every case is unique.

steadying support while you find your own way. welcome aboard.

thank you!

 

[gorgonzola]

Hello @interstellar505 !

Does anyone have ideas on [...] stress-free ways to tell my therapist?

Bring up this very post on your phone and show them. Keep holding the phone if you wish to keep control of what they can see; they can always lean over and put their reading glasses on if they have to.

Let me be real though: that's not going to be stress-free but it does turn actively telling them out loud in words into moving your limbs and digits around in a particular way, which can sometimes be easier. It won't make you more ready to talk about any details, just communicate that there's an assault you want to talk about and that it's very uncomfortable for you to do so directly.

My own experience of therapy is that my therapist was able to hone in on a PTSD diagnosis after two sessions, so at a guess you haven't had your current therapist for very long yet? Bringing up difficult things is going to be disproportionately hard earlier on in that therapeutic relationship; I tried to force myself to do so not long after those two weeks for some reason, ignored the copious off-ramps offered and managed to thoroughly dysregulate myself and grayed out (as in, only remembered a few snippets from that part of the session) and then spent the next week wondering if I had shared anything I had not intended to. Not my finest hour.

Which isn't to say don't try to bring it up, just that a client-therapist relationship takes time to build so cut yourself miles of slack if you find yourself not ready to share with them yet.