Starting Tomorrow

[trying2movefwd]

Hi. I am going to be working with a new T (1 on 1) tomorrow. I'm only slightly anxious about it as I already know her from a Partial Hospital program I was in. But I am doing EMDR with another T...anyway when this T (the one I first mentioned) introduced the group I was in to DBT I got a lot out of it in just two days. I think it may be very effective for me. Is this something okay for me to ask? Meaning, would it be appropriate to ask her if we can do DBT therapy and explain to her why? I almost feel like the EMDR, having DBT therapy, and the fact that I have a meds combo that really works for me may be just the formula I need to really begin moving forward. Thoughts? Answers? Experiences? All welcome. Thanks

 

[Kintsugi]

I don't see why not. DBT is seen as one of the most effective treatments for PTSD.

Have you had a formal consultation with this T yet? A phone conversation or an initial one-to-one session? It would be quite appropriate to ask what methods she uses. I grilled my current T for about an hour over the phone, emphasizing that I did not want to do basic CBT stuff and why. CBT exercises are now a long-running joke between us. ;)

 

[trying2movefwd]

I had 14 months of cbt and talk therapy. It did not do me much good. When did they discover cbt was effective for PTSD? I know it is supposed to be effective for some personality disorders.

 

[Kintsugi]

CBT has long been considered one of the most effective methods for treating PTSD and is widely used, in my understanding, by the VA to treat veterans.

DBT grew out of CBT and sought to improve its fundamental practices. It's funny that you say CBT is effective for personality disorders; DBT is recognized as a top therapy option for borderline personality disorder (I believe it was actually developed specifically for BPD and the chronically suicidal).

CBT, DBT, EMDR, and exposure therapies are all highly regarded treatment options for PTSD.

 

[mary1979]

Learning to change thinking patterns and associated behaviours that have developed over a lifetime is HARD WORK.
Especially when your brain is going 'no way will something this simple and straightforward work'

The key to begin with is commitment.
Forcing yourself to stop, consider and then alter EVERY SINGLE time you feel even slight unease coming on will work eventually, its all about repetition.

They say the average course to learn the techniques is 20 weeks, I call bullshit.
Takes years.
And not a hell of a lot to slip back out of it and into old patterns either.

But it does work.
If its not, you aren't trying hard enough, giving up too soon.

Not saying this with any judgement, 8 years of therapy and I still managed to fall back into old patterns as soon as I let my guard down.

 

[trying2movefwd]

I meant DBT for personality disorders. Sorry.

 

[trying2movefwd]

Maybe it was only talk therapy. Funny thing about I'm not sure. But my T could not continue working with me due to disassociation. She was not really qualified to work with severe trauma though. :) I'm beginning DBT next week. I met with new T today.

 

[StellaBlue]

I completed two full cycles (the recommended course of treatment) of DBT a year ago and I truly believe it saved my life. It took about 18 months.

That said, I strongly disagree with this:

But it does work.
If its not, you aren't trying hard enough, giving up too soon.

Linehan herself has said that the patient can not fail at DBT - if the patient is not improving (and this refers to patients with Borderline Personality Disorder), then the treatment is failing.

There is so much new information coming out on how to treat trauma. And...everyone experiences their trauma (and symptoms) differently. And...no one is in the same place in terms of healing, if and when they decide to seek treatment. And...different folks need different modalities (for example, exposure therapy almost killed me).

Saying that something is not working because the person is not trying hard enough seems very shaming to me. Perhaps DBT is not the modality for that person, perhaps he or she is struggling so much with another issue that they cannot absorb the information from DBT at that time, perhaps the instructor really sucks. Blaming the patient for a therapy that may not be effective for that person is really not helpful.

I am immensely grateful that I had the time and resources to do DBT and that I was in a place where I could absorb and retain the information. It did not "cure" my PTSD, but it gave me the tools to take the next steps in my healing.

 

[mary1979]

:( I apologise for the way my comment seemed to you.

It was not my intent to shame anyone at all, only my personal experience of talk therapy.
I had been thinking a lot about how far backward id taken myself in recent years, and thinking critically I realised id stopped trying.

I was being too harsh, mostly on myself and I clearly projected, again I am sorry

 

[Crow]

Hey @trying2movefwd. I did two complete rounds of DBT last year. While I hated the group aspect of it (BPD folks are exhausting :) ) the course changed my life. The exercises seemed stupid but as I did them, so much improved. I've been in cognitive therapy for nearly 20 years and since DBT I've made lightning fast progress. And just about every other area of my life has improved.

Good luck!!

 

[StellaBlue]

I appreciate your apology @mary1979 - your statement touched a nerve. For me, learning self-compassion has been critical in moving forward with my healing. That includes understanding that my inability to be successful at treating my symptoms at various times throughout my life is not an indicator that I didn't want to "get well" or that I wasn't trying hard enough, but rather that I needed those symptoms to cope. That's not to say I haven't been extremely harsh on myself for my treatment failures - or that I haven't accused myself of "making this all up" or not getting over things quickly enough - but I want to be able to hold that part of me gently - and I hope that for you as well.

To stay on topic -

I almost feel like the EMDR, having DBT therapy, and the fact that I have a meds combo that really works for me may be just the formula I need to really begin moving forward.

For me, finding a combination of modalities has been what has worked for me. As I said earlier, I found DBT to be incredibly helpful...it taught me the skills that (ideally) should have been taught in childhood. It's been a year since I completed my class and I still use the skills on a regular basis.