I Found A Therapist!

[winterose]

Found a therapist to work with. I will have sessions twice a week for an hour. I am so looking foreword to this. It was a productive day yesterday.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Congratulations. I hope it is a good match for you. Here is to your future healing.

 

[winterose]

Thank you gizmo. I do too.

 

[Hashi]

Me too. You sound really positive about it, which is great. Hope it goes well.

 

[winterose]

So far so good on the first therapy session. Just went through some history stuff for the start. Next session is Tuesday evening.

Hashi, yes I am hopeful it's been a long road trying to find a therapist who has enough experience in trauma and knows how to respond to my unique experiences. I'm working with what we call the street therapist. He works as an ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) therapist. It's a full approach needs to help patients to get the most of therapy and function in day to day life too. You add other things as needed as strengths go up. It's a behavioral approach model with flexibility. The goal is to have support both medically and to create structure and stabilization in your day to day life.

Most ACT therapists work in the mean streets of America. So they have a level of understanding of how poverty, mental illness, and the scummy side of life happen. My therapist just happens to work on the hard streets of Chicago.

 

[MagiLisu]

I'm glad to hear you've had a good session.

It'll be a lot of work but hopefully it's now onwards and upwards.

 

[winterose]

I am prepared to do the work, that isn't the problem. It's making sure I have better safety structures in place before I add EMDR in so I don't end up collapsing under the pressure again. And this way I have a therapist that can help me find someone with alot more experience with doing EMDR than what I got. I just want my life back. I have done some really neat stuff in life, I'd really like to get back to doing those things that I loved doing.

 

[Hashi]

He works as an ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) therapist.

I think ACT has a lot of good tools to help build the safety structures you need. It's great that you've found someone with the experience and skills that seem right for you.

 

[maddog]

I'd be interested to hear your feedback on your experience of the ACT model. My therapist has been starting to build some ACT concepts and tools into his arsonal with me lately and the ACT movement is really starting to get some momentum as an adjunct to trauma therapy I think, and with valid reason.

Always keen for user feedback...

Maddog

 

[winterose]

Will do maddog...I've had 3 sessions so far. Still going through history.

 

[winterose]

HUGE step in therapy last night. Was able to talk about his approach that was a bit unnerving for me and omg I didn't get the therapuetic wall. So we established a little more trust. I opened up about my ex and how that was connected to alot of trauma. He validated what I was thinking without me asking which was a wow factor for me.

We also talked about filters and how with PTSD what get's communicated vs processed is two different things. So, we will be working on exercises to help build that.

I told him about my 30 point trauma and how I was writing what was coming up. We didn't delve into it as deep because we will be working on trust, communications, etc. Which will be good because when we go to deal with my ex marriage this will be especially important for me and I WILL have to have something inside to keep me going after we get into the crux of things. The relief right now is huge for me.

 

[safenow]

I am so happy for you. Sounds like you have a good therapist. You are doing great things, my new friend. Keep up the good work. Remember, don't be too hard on yourself. Baby steps.