Help!! I Am Regressing...

[MarandaMendez]

So, I have been in therapy for over a year now and had been doing great with progress. All of a sudden now my panic attacks are coming back along with my ocd and a new feeling of almost claustrophobia (not diagnosed with claustrophobia).

Nightmares and flashbacks are happening more often as well. I am also experiencing sleep walking and severe migraines.

Have any of you dealt with this kind of setback? It is very frustrating for me and I lost my job because of my increased symptoms that feel like they are out of my control.

 

[Becca]

I have been there, I hope it helps to know that you are not alone. It's great that you are in therapy. I went through something similar, I spoke to my doctor about it and I was able to take some time off of work, with FMLA, because my anxiety/fear was so great I could not function enough to go to work. It's important to reach out to others and let them know how you are doing, fortunately my therapist and doctor worked together to help me with work/time-off, Just FYI for the future. Be kind to yourself and try not to isolate yourself too much.I am not sure if you are religious but I pray/meditate, or write about it. Let yourself cry, if you want to, that was one of the hardesty things for me, but it helps!

 

[MarandaMendez]

Thank you so much for the advice. My therapist did suggest that I try writing down my flashbacks but I am afraid that it may cause me to relive experiences more than I would like to. I try to keep myself busy so that way I am distracted. I get very depressed when these flashbacks and night terrors happen.

A lot of my regression I think may be because I very desperately want to know why someone who said they loved me would be so cruel and evil. I don't feel normal anymore since those hellish few years. How do I overcome the need to know why?

 

[Froggie]

Welcome to the forum MarandaM. I know this can be so frustrating when we "regress" while in therapy, this also happened to me. I too had what I called my PTSD headaches - which only occured when I would talk, think or relive my PTSD experience. Keep posting as venting out does help in between therapy sessions. Accompanying you through this. BTW, I light candles to send waves of peace, serenity and warmth over the distance. My candle light is also for you ...

 

[Srain]

Welcome Maranda :)

It is difficult and feels like we are getting nowhere fast but it is like ripping the bandaide off to allow the real healing to begin. I'm glad you are here and asking the questions. I hope you are asking your tdoc these same questions so that you and she/he can work on these in your sessions as well.

I have the migraines and flashbacks but then they settled back down, come back up and down again like the ocean. I am in the process of learning to not be so afraid of them but rather look them in the eye and see what they are trying to tell me so that I can write that information down and at the same time take some control of them. It's a process. It is not easy. I tend to go into Depersonalization - that is the 'getting away' out of myself just to survive the process but even that is something I am learning to not be so afraid of. It is the sense of not being in one's body. Very terrifying for so long, I didn't understand what was happening to me.

This forum has a lot of information and many supportive people. You will see that you are not alone in all of this.

peace,
Rain

 

[KP the nut]

Welcome to the forum.

My T would probably say that this is a good thing. That your mind is at a point where you can continue to process information. IMHO, he is right (he is about me) but it is still awful.

Breathe through them, keep grounding yourself and posting/venting here.

You are part of a great community, we will support you.

((HUGS)) if you will accept them
KP

 

[MarandaMendez]

Thank you. It is nice to be able to express openly about my problems and have some understanding.

 

[EvenStrongerNow]

Hey There,

Sorry you are having a rough time. {{{HUGS}}} My therapist always tells me that life isn't linear. We couldn't handle everything emotionally if it were. That's why it's amazing that our brains serve as a means to protect us from dealing with every emotion at once. She says that life goes good for awhile and we are making progress, but then the crap comes around and we gotta deal with it again. But the difference is, now we get to deal with it, we have the tools to get through it, put it in its rightful place in our lives and move along to enjoy the next wave of progress. I kind of look at it as a healing process. Each time the crap comes around, we deal with it a little more and a little more. We do this until it's completely dealt with and processed. Hang in there. It will get better. You're doing GREAT!