I Am Able To Write About My Experiences

[Dougal]

I attended an in-patient Post Traumatic Stress Recovery Program in 2006. I spent 60 days at this facility. In week three I was asked to leave process group for the duration of my stay because I could not express my feelings or talk about my experiences. The issue was that I sat and said nothing. Go figure, I was traumatised. I have felt guilty about this for some time. I felt as if I did something wrong. It didn't help at the time that no one at this facility supported me around this issue.

This has continued to be a theme for me to this day. That is until I found this site. I have commented on twenty plus posts and initiated a few too. Quite an accomplishment for someone who tends to sit quietly and say nothing.

I am heading within the next few months to another in-patient program. In preliminary chats with the admissions team at this new facility, they have assured me that the inability to express one's feelings is a core feature of PTSD, and that when I participate in their program I will be encouraged to stay in the group so that I can talk about how I feel. They have assured me that getting me to talk is their challenge, not mine.

I can't wait to share this achievement with my therapist who has told me about the benefits of peer support and has been encouraging me to make this connection. Thanks.
CM

 

[anni]

I don't know what the dynamics were to have been for that 2006 group but that experience would absolutely have CRUSHED me-holy heck! SHAME/guilt..... which as a PTSD recovery group one would have though they'd have included as a possibility in asking someone to leave a group. Rather an obvious way to lose ground, there! I wished to say congratulations on having gotten so far with healing that you have been able to discuss all that with another group, and begin again! How lovely for you!

I hope it's a very. very productive time there for you. I'm sure it will be!

Anni

 

[cdnleaf]

That's great Charlotte, I'm really happy for you.