Somatic Experiencing - Have You Tried It?

[maddog]

Hi Deaf Global Nomad.

Just wanted to say how fascinating I found your post to be, how amazing your therapist sounds, and what courage and creativity and open mindedness you have for persisting until you found something that works for you, in spite of all of the misunderstanding and negative experiences in the past. What you said about your previous therapist holding your hands down... ick, that is just plain awful.

I truly truly believe in the "whatever works" concept, and to that end I applaud any therapist who is prepared to think and work outside the box, incorporate multiple approaches based on need and really work with the individual needs and characteristics of the client to find something that works. Now that's what I call real holistic therapy.

Cudose to both of you!

Maddog

 

[Kb3]

How incredible Deaf Global Nomad, and how vividly you describe your therapeutic process. I have so much admiration for your tenacity in finding the right method for yourself - it really is inspiring.

 

[Deaf Global Nomad]

Thank you, Maddog and Eat!

On Tuesday I arrived at therapy prepared to celebrate my therapist's birthday. Bright and I had made Chocolate Mousse, one of the few things I can safely make and some sparkling juice. My therapist made the coolest toast: "To a year of successful team work!"

I think that sums it up really well. She may be therapist #24 in the past 6 1/2 years, but the wait and struggles have been well worth it. I have learned a lot about myself as well as about what a good professional-client relationship is. I have definitely made significant progress (for those who know me now they would question that), but clearly still have a lot of work ahead of me. However, now that I understand what therapy is like, I am not as afraid to touch on the more difficult issues.

My goal is to find my way back into the academic setting. I want to teach students at a university, conduct research, and be an activist for issues important to me. This time around I would like it to be with my whole being.

I have done those things previously, but was only a shell of myself. After completely crashing due to the PTSD, not even my brain could function any longer. I lost my ability to write, read, think in an organized fashion, keep my languages separated, be around people, tolerate any kind of stimulation (others' movements or lights), etc... This time around I am hoping to acquire some additional basic functional skills (e.g. cooking, cleaning, care taking of myself and others at least as far as my disabilities allow).

As far as an image goes I can think of a roller coaster. All my life I had spent climbing that first hill. At the top, just toward the end of graduate school, I realized that I had no energy left to move ahead. So down the hill I went. Somehow I got lost. Throughout the past year I have been working on finding my path to the second hill. Recently I have even begun climbing up the second hill thanks to my therapist's support and the support of my case manager and another mental health worker. Like any good roller coaster there will be some more ups and downs, I am sure. However, I hope that those ups and downs will be more contained and controlled and that I'll be able to look backwards and forwards without too much of a blur.

 

[bankhead]

Not finding a whole lot of relief from my 1st session of Craniosacral therapy but looking forward to my second appointment on Tuesday. Fingers crossed that I will get some relief.

 

[Hashi]

bankhead, I'm glad you went and made another appointment.

I'm not sure I'd say I felt relief after the first appointment I had. it was more a feeling that I was on the right track. Then I started going cold and shaking, which was healing but not what I'd really call relief. For me, a lot of the healing happened in between sessions over time. It was a long term commitment (and totally worth that). I'd suggest you keep talking to your therapist about what you can expect, what you're experiencing and what sort of treatment seems best..

Hashi

 

[bankhead]

Hashi - thank you so much. It is not that I expected the rocks to shake or anything but I suspect more than I am aware of is going on. That night I developed a soar throat which as migrated to my sinuses. I believe that is a sign of something shaking up. I have been working some focusing exercises and am slowly becoming increasingly aware of places that I hold stress and trauma. I so hope this will facilitate this process as well.

Your post encourages me to be hopeful.

 

[Death]

I think this therapy won't work... since I don't have a body....

 

[Hashi]

I've resigned to the idea that I'll have to find a different approach for every single one of my problems, and maybe even a different approach for each stage of dealing with a problem. It sucks big time.

My T recommended 'Waking the tiger' by Levine to me but I didn't really find myself in there. I guess it's more appropriate for people with mono trauma, and not for those with a complex trauma.

I've only just seen this.

I have complex trauma. My experience has been the opposite of your concern. I feel like craniosacral therapy/somatic therapy allowed my system to work on whatever it needed to, without me having to decide to work on A or B. In fact, because my system was working on "trauma" without specifying whether it was the trauma from A or B, it's been possible to help both at the same time (and C, D, E, F etc as well).

Maybe I should clarify that this is craniosacral therapy rather than somatic experiencing. My impression is that somatic experiencing does ask you to identify a particular trauma that you want to work on. Other people, please correct me if I'm misunderstood. Craniosacral therapy doesn't require this - it's the therapist communicating directly with your central nervous system, and working with whatever is ready to be worked with - which might mean several things together.