How To Get Help When Therapy Is A Ptsd Trigger

[Ewuce]

Combination reply to everyone:

First of all, thanks.

I have no friends to go with me. I was prohibited from making fri...

I think you are amazing! Despite all your health issues you are holding a job down, working long hours to keep your independence. I admire your determination and self discipline.

 

[Duhiru]

I absolutely second and third the suggestions on mindfulness. Nothing helped me for many years - and I have MDD, OCD, complex PTSD, and DID - and the only thing that helped me was mindfulness. I still have issues, but it really is the only thing that makes a difference in my life. And there are all sorts of resources out there to help you learn it on your own if you can't afford to take the course, or even buy the books.

 

[Nogi]

To the original post:

The first thing I thought to suggest was maybe look into a certified art therapist that is also a regular (clinical) trauma therapist. Make it clear that, until you decide otherwise, you're only interested in doing art therapy with them. It's a non-verbal form of communication to begin building a foundation for a verbal therapeutic alliance in the future with that person.

 

[Risuho]

Combination reply to everyone:

Misc life events? I work 140+ hrs/week for a soul-draining job just to keep a roof over my head, and don't have the option of quitting right now (long story).

Well, folks, where do we go from here?

I think everyone missed this!! I did anyway. There are only 168 hours in a week - not sure if that's a typo, the 140+ hours a week? But if it's not, well there isn't a human being alive who could work those hours and not be completely out of their minds with stress and sleep deprivation and that could be the source of your problem right there.
I don't think it's legal to work those hours, certainly not healthy.
You always have the option of quitting a job. Maybe you have financial obligations - you can cut them down too.
A lot of people hide behind work. I've done that too, and all it did was delay thd process of recovery, keeping busy trying to avoid myself.
That's why it takes most so long to recover - there's a period of time of denial and non acceptance of what's going on.

 

[Ugido]

Maybe it's the thought of speaking to a therapist or similar figure that triggers you. I know lots of people like this, including one of my closest friends. She only rarely talks openly to a therapist or pastor.

Maybe you need to find a support who understands what youre going through, or perhaps someone else with ptsd who's further in recovery. And vent or get advice from that trusted person. So you're actually talking to a friend rather than someone who's "just doing their jobs".

I've had to do this for a few friends myself, back when I was more stable. Sometimes a friend or partner can be a better help than a therapist, depending on your situation.