The First 6 Months Of Trauma Therapy The Hardest?... Does It Get Better?

[ItsAllGood]

Hello precious poeple : )

What a strange world it is where some poeple just arn't nice. I don't get it. Why not be nice? I don't think I'll ever understand that.

Im in the first 6 months of trauma therapy. My T says they can be the hardest in some ways. What do people think?

It was so wierd getting the diagnosis in the first place. I kept losing periods of time for a while and just felt wretched. I wasn't me anymore and I just wanted to run or hide all the time. I felt like everyone was trying to kill me. Then I ended up in hospital for ages cause I wasn't my self. Now I'm in therapy and learning about how all this stuff I thought was normal about my family was actually abuse or neglect. Just coming to understand that is like the world just turned inside out. Its like I want to get better but to get better I have to walk through fire and get burnt all over to cure myself from having been 'set on fire and burnt all over' so to speak. It feels like some kind of getting worse to get better.

What do people think about the first 6 months? Does it get better?

 

[amethist]

Hi Thnowflea

Welcome to the forum.

Facing your trauma and working through it is tough going, no one will tell you anything else. but you have to do this to heal and move forward.

As for the length of time it will take, there are no answers to that question. It can depend on the trauma itself, if it is just one major trauma, some can work with their therapist quickly and then move on to continue working with minimal support. Others can take a long time, as new bits keep coming forward as your therapist helps you remember the parts stuffed away at the back of your mind. As well as how you yourself put the work in too.

It does get better and easier to deal with, but it is a continuous healing process.

Take care and keep going with everything.

Amethist

 

[intothelight]

Hi Thnoflea,

Welcome to the PTSD Forum. Having PTSD flair up can cause great confusion, as everything you used to know is suddenly changed. Getting the diagnosis can be a relief, but also cause confusion as it takes a while to understand what it is and how to treat it.

Treatment is hard work, and give yourself a lot of credit for sticking with it. For many, it gets worse before it gets better. But it does get better.

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Debbie

 

[Deaf Global Nomad]

Welcome to the forum, Thnowflea!

I am with on questioning people's motivations. Why are people cruel to others? Those are things I will never understand despite trying to.

For many people the beginning of therapy (the time frame varies) is the toughest because they begin with sharing their trauma and how it has affected them. By bringing up some things at the surface deeper traumas also come up. This telling tends to be done without (m)any coping strategies in place. Those you learn bit by bit going through therapy.

Treatment is definitely hard work. There may be a few easier sessions interspersed when a good therapist realizes that the client is overstimulated or overwhelmed. Therapy is always a balancing act between the therapist and the client to figure out what is too much so that it becomes overwhelming or what is not enough so that the client is not challenged enough. It's a two way communication. In my therapy, my therapist watches me closely, but she also asks how I am doing at the beginning and what my plans for the next few days are so that therapy does not interfere more with my life than absolutely necessary. For me this works really well.

I wish you good luck with therapy. I hope you are able to open the two-way communication paths.

Take care!

 

[Anna]

Welcome :) I think that it doesn't get better but you learn to live with it and come to terms with it over time. It becomes easier to live with. It is possible to learn coping mechanisms.

 

[Froggie]

Welcome to the forum Thnowflea. It varies from one person to another. I'm understanding that you have been able to expose many things in the first 6 months so ... well... wow, that is amazing. It took me longer than that as I had unconsciously "forgotten" some things. Yes the first part is the toughest, but then it does get easier as the specialists gives us some coping skills to deal with PTSD. Best of luck to you.

 

[IvyMillie]

When my husband was getting therapy he said it was very hard. It forced him to think of things that were horrible. He had a really hard time, he was moodier and angrier than usual.

I hope it will get better for you. Hang in there.

 

[ItsAllGood]

Thanks guys

How lovely you all are! Ive got a kind of wierd counselling structure at the moment. I have two Psychologists. I see one once a week and the other once a month and they talk to each other. Its nice to have the support but I also feel like they're trying to kill me sometimes. Its like we start at zero with rapport every time. Trust is hard. Its hard to have expectations of someone: that they care, that they won'tbe voyueristic, that they are interested in your interests just for you. Its like I don't know what that is. I guess I don't. Learning : )

 

[anthony]

The first 6 months is the hardest, yes... especially if done right, being you start at the worst trauma and get it out of the way... knocking out many other issues all in one swoop.

 

[MacKenzies-Rant]

Hello precious poeple : )

What a strange world it is where some poeple just arn't nice. I don't get it. Why not be nice? I don't think I'll ever understand that.

Im in the first 6 months of trauma therapy. My T says they can be the hardest in some ways. What do people think?

It was so wierd getting the diagnosis in the first place. I kept losing periods of time for a while and just felt wretched. I wasn't me anymore and I just wanted to run or hide all the time. I felt like everyone was trying to kill me. Then I ended up in hospital for ages cause I wasn't my self. Now I'm in therapy and learning about how all this stuff I thought was normal about my family was actually abuse or neglect. Just coming to understand that is like the world just turned inside out. Its like I want to get better but to get better I have to walk through fire and get burnt all over to cure myself from having been 'set on fire and burnt all over' so to speak. It feels like some kind of getting worse to get better.

What do people think about the first 6 months? Does it get better?

The answer is a resounding 'Yes!' in my case. When I first started with EMDR I was under a less than brilliant psych. who didn't prepare me properly, in terms of a safe place visualisation and letting me know what I might experience at first. This was horrendous, the flashbacks and nightmares got worse and I stopped going for therapy. Then I was lucky enough to come under the care of a really good psychologist who talked me through the process, prepared me really well and made me feel much more secure. Result? After the first couple of months I started to show real benefit and over the course of the first year I had some real "Road to Damascus" moments! It changed my life for the better in a big way, so all I can say is "Hang in there!". ;)