How Much Detail Do You Give In Therapy?

[anthony]

Talking about your trauma with anyone is really your decision. There are pro's and con's to doing so. A pro is that you unload a huge secret from yourself, and that in itself usually reduces many symptoms and stress, given a little time. A con is that it may also temporarily heighten your symptoms during the event of talking about the details, and immediately afterwards, until your brain calms again.

Again though... getting the details out is up to you, and really, the details only specifically matter when your symptoms are directly referencing them, such as nightmares, ongoing thoughts of the event, so forth. When the details are negatively affecting you, then it is usually in your best interest just to unload them from you, as though lifting a huge weight off your shoulders.

The decision though always resides with you. If you have it written down, maybe it is best to simply give that to the crisis worker and let them read it... then talk with you about the details.

 

[Brokensoul88]

Thank you @Hashi I really appreciate that.

@Samantha_38 thank you for the suggestion I let her see what I had written the week before so she knew but I wanted to say it myself and stop it controlling me. I think I need to change my approach, I want so much to feel some relief from the struggle.

@anthony thank you for your comments. I was warned by my Dr that it will get worse before it gets better and for me that plays on my mind. At times I think how could it possibly get any worse? Then I psyche myself out of talking because it frightens me to think what could happen if it did feel worse. We didn't talk about the details as I left my account with her to read and left perhaps that is something I should have done at the time but I can still do if I find the courage. It's got to come from somewhere and I'm hoping I'll find it soon..

 

[TonyG]

Forgive me for being vague but for me the details I have locked away in my memory are what causes me the most destress to talk about, I had the worst week after opening up a little to my psychologist last week, Our reasons for having PTSD could not be more different but talking about it causes the same anxiety, I break down when I try and talk about my Memories,

 

[Brokensoul88]

@TonyG thank you for your comments. I repressed the memories for 6 years and now I have them it's a constant battle to cope with the flashbacks. I know I can't carry on the way I am so for me I feel I need to attack this and stop it from pulling me under by talking instead of locking it back up. I'm sorry you had that trouble when you talked, everyone I've spoken to said that sticking at it helped in the long run so that's what I'm aiming for. I have to keep trying and let what happens happens believing that I am working toward change. I hope you can find a way soon too. Good luck

 

[TonyG]

Well I haven't given up it was just my first visit, I have had these memories for 30 years and only now I have started having flash backs and after my session intrusive memories and I know it's a part of healing, But still not easy

 

[anthony]

Correct... it's not easy, but every person can do it. When you do it, how and to whom, is your choice.

The sheer amount of times someone has told me something that they've held secret for 20+ years... caused them great pain and then a few weeks later they start feeling better, come back, and tell me they don't understand what they were ever thinking of holding onto the secrets that kept causing them all that pain. When they looked at the duration of decades of pain versus a few weeks, few months even, of heightened symptoms just from releasing the secret and getting it out... they more often than not wanted to slap themselves for putting themselves through it for so long.

Short term pain, long term gain. It really is true for mental health. And @Brokensoul88, trust me... there is still room for worse, even when you don't think so. Worse is normally the point that you're fighting yourself from killing yourself every minute, hour and day, until he symptoms subside. The worse can be somewhat dangerous, no doubt about it... but if a person can commit to it and handle it, compared to the pain keeping it in versus getting it out... just basic math.