• 💖 [Donate To Keep MyPTSD Online] 💖 Every contribution, no matter how small, fuels our mission and helps us continue to provide peer-to-peer services. Your generosity keeps us independent and available freely to the world. MyPTSD closes if we can't reach our annual goal.

Assault Struggling - assault & upcoming court appearance

Status
Not open for further replies.

Rumors

MyPTSD Pro
I was physically assaulted a while back. I haven't discussed it. I told my therapist about it recently and she offered to come with me to my court appearance as support. Part of me wants her to be there, but part of me realizes I likely will be a wreck and not fit to be around anyone. It brings up old history for me... the assault makes me so aware of how quickly things can go wrong and how out of control we really are. I have tried desperately to make the assault its own singular event and not let it get mixed up with history. As the court date draws closer it is harder... I am really trying not to dramatize things and make them larger than they really are.
 
That sound so stressful and all round shit.

Have you thought about saying to your T to be there but don’t talk to me afterwards unless I approach you.

Or schedule something before or after whatever you need. Meet with your t before and go to court alone.

I understand trying to compartmentalise this trauma from others I do that too. And maybe that’s what needs to be done at the moment until the court case is over. But eventually you’re probably going to have to look at it and your trauma history as a whole.

If you can please take gentle care of yourself I’m so sorry you’ve been put through this.
 
Court appearances can be really hard - I got through my restraining order hearing with the help of a copious amount of valium. I didn't have my therapist there, but the judge was very patient and understanding. They deal with this stuff a lot.

I hope it goes well for you.

What helped me was writing things out beforehand, for me to say in court. Having a sort of "script" might be helpful for you, so you don't have to think so much, and can just read for your main statements about what happened, etc.
 
That sound so stressful and all round shit.

Have you thought about saying to your T to be th...
Thank you for your response. I am not good at asking for what I need. It is awkward. This is just a ripple effect of many things I am beginning to face and it makes me so aware of how much content there is to cover and how much work I have to do. In my world being invisible and not a burden is how I usually survive. I convince myself in between appointments that I will walk in and my t will finally tell me "this is too much you need to find someone else." And it seems as if I always have shit going on... chaos type shit. I keep a lot to myself but what I do eek out makes me want to throw up. Now this... I am sure I will be fine but I have to punish myself in the process....as compared to what happened yesterday in Florida at the school shootings, I have nothing to complain about... praying for those families.

Court appearances can be really hard - I got through my restraining order hearing with the help of a...
Thank you for your response. A script to read from and study beforehand might be helpful. Even if I have to sit there in the courtroom and read it before I testify.

Is it a matter of not being dramatic, or is it minimizing?

Hugs.
I don't know. Maybe I am minimizing... I grew up in a household whose mantra was "Stop your crying or I will give you something to cry about." I guess I feel as a whole it wasn't the worst assault case ever nor does it compare to some of the things that happened when I was younger therefore I need to suck it up, go to court, and move on. And I don't want to allow what happened to get mixed in with other stuff and bring it all to the surface. I don't know... I literally have stuffed it away after it happened. It was like it happened to someone else...now not so much.
 
Part of me wants her to be there, but part of me realizes I likely will be a wreck and not fit to be around anyone.
I would definitely take her up on her offer, having unexpectedly had that opportunity in the past.

Bolded... TBH, that’s what makes having her there a great choice, if she’s any good as a therapist. She’s not anyone, she’s a professional, and she specializes in being a wreck. You won’t have to put on a show for her, or keep your mask up, or explain why you’re XYZ. Same token, needing to keep my mask up for others, becomes indescribably easier when I have someone else that I’m able to be completely honest with, and groks what mask I’m using, why, and the cost of it. Whether it’s being professional when I want to be anything but, or not letting people have the satisfaction of seeing how much they hurt me when I’m raging inside, or whatever. She’s any good at what she does and she’ll get it without a single word said AND help you be who you need to be / do what you need to do whilst in court AND deal with the fallout.

My experience was that having a therapist with me at court was very much like having a lawyer with me in court. Invaluable.

And I don't want to allow what happened to get mixed in with other stuff and bring it all to the surface.
You figure out how to do that? You let me know, hear?

I guess I feel as a whole it wasn't the worst assault case ever nor does it compare to some of the things that happened when I was younger therefore I need to suck it up, go to court, and move on.

Conversely, if you aren’t able to do that? It makes it a great talking point / processing point. The differences between then & now leading to a greater understanding of both then and now.
 
struggling from the fallout from the recent weeks. It has brought back all kinds of memories... ugh. Really not in a great place with it all.
 
Thank you for checking... yes, lots has changed. The assault itself wasn't terrible however it was the catalyst that stirred everything up where I was about to explode. I was able to do a lot of emergency work and make some headway on some pretty tough stuff. I have some more to go but at least I feel some relief from some pretty heavy stuff. It is really thoughtful of you to check in @Ronin. I sincerely appreciate that.
 
Part of me wants her to be there, but part of me realizes I likely will be a wreck and not fit to be around anyone.
I don't think anyone expects anything out of you in that kind of a situation, @Rumors.

I had crazy court stuff go on for years. If I even had a niggling of a feeling for the need of someone to accompany me, I accepted the offers and it was just so very comforting.
 
I don't think anyone expects anything out of you in that kind of a situation, @Rumors
Lol. It is self inflicted need for control. Just shaking the old habits is hard. In my household we weren't allowed to ask for help or not be total control all the time regardless of the situation. That was the expectation.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top