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Sheppard Pratt, I went and it was excellent

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Laurie2001

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Hi. I posted a thread a couple of months ago about the possibility of going to Sheppard Pratt Trauma unit. I went and just wanted to let anyone know who is thinking about it that it was excellent! Very difficult experience emotionally but truly transforming. The staff is incredible and available 24/7. The therapy is very good and the skills I gained have already helped significantly. I was having tremendous difficulty with emotional regulation. I didn't realize the degree to which flashbacks and my attempts to stave them off dominated so much of my day. And I had no idea how to manage them.

I finally feel like I have tools to prevent them and to have some control over managing them when they do occur, although I have to work at them every day and it is a process. I also gained a number of almost revelatory realizations about myself including how I see other people, myself, etc. I have worked at hospitals because I am a psychologist and I have never seen a unit like this. It is truly special and there are very few like it and they are ever decreasing.

I will note that most of the people on it (all women until my last day) had Dissociative Identity Disorder. Although I have elements of it I am always aware of my age, etc although I might feel like I'm six, ten, and so on depending on what I am flashing back too. Sometimes this required me to assert how I translate the interventions to complex PTSD. However, everyone was responsive and the staff were extremely helpful and uniformly nice. I also enjoyed my contact with the other women and being at a place where I could let my guard down and be open about all with which I struggle. If you have DID this is the place!

I had tremendous fears about going, but it was completely worth it and totally the right decision.

So if anyone is considering hospitalization I would give this more than a thumbs up. And I was lucky enough to have my insurance cover it.
 
Wow...very cool that you went and had such a great experience. Not sure that I could pull off going in patient for many reasons but I think it takes a strong person to make that commitment. You obviously we're ready to feel better. I imagine it was very scary but I am glad to hear your positive feedback.

Best wishes for continued healing on your journey. Keep sharing of it is comfortable. I do a lot of reading here....
 
Thanks you so much for your reply Rumors. It means a lot. It was terrifying to go. Really, it means a lot what you said. Its still a lot of hard work but as I might have said I'm optimistic for the first time in years. Take good care of yourself too.
 
I remember your thread Laurie and am glad that you posted back in. "I didn't realize the degree to which flashbacks and my attempts to stave them off dominated so much of my day. [snip] I finally feel like I have tools to prevent them and to have some control over managing them when they do occur, although I have to work at them every day..."

Yup, yup and bravo, nice to see you back. :tup::tup::tup:
 
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Hi. I posted a thread a couple of months ago about the possibility of going to Sheppard Pratt Traum...
Congratulations to you Laurie. I live in your state and know of Shepherd Pratt. You are in a good place. I am glad that it has been a positive experience for you and will lead you to a full and complete recovery. Take good care of yourself.
 
A late thank you to everyone for responding. As a follow up, It has been a hard 3 weeks. I think part of it was my therapist went away on vacation and I had a number of triggers and although I worked very hard at implementing what I learned it was hard to do it on my own. My therapist is back now but I'm going away next week...
I think what is also difficult and wonder whether other people struggle with this is not having people I can fully open up to or who want me to. I feel very needy and sometimes self-absorbed. When I was at my best since leaving SP I had an equilibrium I hadn't had before. I know that this is a long process and it is ridiculous to expect otherwise.
Anyway, I think a number of people I rely on have had a lot going on in their own lives, and although I'd be there for them, that's not where they are at. My husband too, is worn down from work, and my struggles (although he is here for me) are understandably too much sometimes. I'm trying to keep in mind what part of the hurt that comes from the present and what about it comes from the past (abandonment). So hard!!! Anyone else??
 
I'm glad the experience was good. We so need treatments that are specifically for PTSD. As for past/present emotions. For myself, labeling somethings as a remnant of the past wasn't helpful, because wherever it comes from, it needs my attention in the now, whatever the source. When it comes to others, the feeling that is present still needs addressing. So if a behavior triggers an emotion in me, I need to find a way to address it , whether it is letting the other know that I need something ( reasonable of course, I'm saying anyone should give up something important for me) or setting a boundary. It could be something like "when you are talking to me in a angry tone, I need to step away until we can speak calmly" anyway, that is my take, because I tended to deny my needs when I felt they were "just my PTSD" but unanswered needs/feelings tend to stick around
 
A late reply to your reply Hope69. I agree. I totally need to address what comes up both past and present and I do and did with my friends and by talking about it with my husband. But it was still painful because the reality was they were going through they're own stuff and for whatever reason needed to be more distant. When people are up front with me it still hurts, but when they don't tell me - I really get frantic. And then I also worry about being too much and loosing them. The intense loss part I think has a lot to do with the past (although I certainly have lost friends) and that's what makes me frantic and angry. And then addressing that was really hard without my therapist although I was able to label it for the most part.

Anyway, Its an ongoing process. I also decided to do DBT because I need the structure to continue to practice some of these skills. It is something I never would have done in the past, but now I just know I need tools to stabilize myself.

Anyway, thanks again for your response.
 
I just wanted to echo what OP had said. I got out a few days ago from the trauma disorders unit and it was fantastic.
The staff is very caring and seems like they really want to be there and they know their stuff. My therapist there really helped me get to some core issues that I couldn't address outpatient (due to the severe increase in symptoms and inability to stay safe).
On the frivolous side, I found the building to be really homey and not "hospital like" at all, which really helped me feel more comfortable, which was a big plus for me.
I was there about 3 weeks, I felt ready to leave, if I didn't and wanted more days and if my team agreed the treatment team there would have fought insurance for more days. They're great. my PPO insurance covered everything, I'm so grateful!
If you're on the fence I'd say just do it! If you have an outpatient team who thinks its a good idea find a way to make it happen! There's never a perfect time to go. And if you're going somewhere for trauma THIS is the place (or maybe McLean in MA, but I cant personally speak to that). A lot of those fancy residentials may have more lush accommodations (MAYBE), but I can almost guarantee they will not address your trauma, flashbacks, and disassociation as well as SP.
 
Everyone is working hard to get me into pratts Trauma Disorders Unit, I am worried they won't take me because while have SI I have decided to not go back to the old behaviors of SH. I worry that they may think I have my SI under control. It is only because I have decided to not do those things anymore because all the did was get me locked up, and if I do them now, that will happen. Getted TDO'd will just make things harder, and may even prevent me from getting the right help from pratt. Right now I am coping by sleeping all the time, and listening to pandora when I am awake.
 
Hi. I posted a thread a couple of months ago about the possibility of going to Sheppard Pratt Traum...

Hi,
I have Cptsd and some symptoms of DID. So my therapist is trying/ convincing some of my parts to get me to go to SP- trauma unit. I do NOT want to go. I had a terrible experience with a previous inpatient hospital in NC. I was locked in a f*cking room (psych ed) for 5 days without any sun. And then handcuffed and transported to a different tx center that was a joke. I am terrified to go back to a hospital, Especially by choice. I do self-harm and have some other self- destructive behaviors, however, I am very controlled and functional in other areas of my life like work (I'm a nurse & 23). Well, basically the only part of my life that really works right now is work. Anyways.
Do they do a body search? Because that's a no for me.
How often are you allowed to go outside?
What about cell phones? (I'm hoping for a different answer :/ )
How do you get discharged/ what's the typical stay length?
Are patients families involved? (I hated this last time. My family is shit and it was hard to see everyone else around me with supportive, loving parents. And then there's me.)
Do they really expect me to fly or drive myself to an inpatient hospital?! Like if I get the time off I might just peace out and go to the beach instead... (You don't have to answer this Q)
What does a typical day look like?
Is there healthy/ decent food options?
Do they give you more than one blanket?
Are you allowed to get a hug?

Thanks in advance!
 
I was at the sheppard pratt trauma unit for 28 days, and it was a life changing experience, nothing like a typical inpatient psych unit. The unit was quite the staff were attentive, and gave any talk time you needed when you needed it. And they taught me how to manage my ptsd better. The staff/patient ratio is between 1.5:1 to 2:1, and the number of patients is limited even though they have a lot of unused patient rooms. Each patient room is a private room.

Don't let your fears based on past non-trauma units experience prevent you from getting expert help. SP TDU is one of the best in the country. To be frank the SP TDU was nothing like any regular psych unit.
 
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