Thinking About Therapy

[Weapon]

Lately I’ve been thinking I need to go back to therapy I haven’t been since I got back from Iraq and I have been having a lot of flash backs causing me not to be able to sleep. I haven’t been to a civilian therapist and am a little apprehensive.

 

[Kintsugi]

Hi John,
Therapy and therapists are all so varied. I would say that if you are nervous about seeing a run-of-the-mill therapist, maybe you could poke around and ask for some referrals for a trauma therapist? Also, if there is a VA hospital near you, they may have some recommendations.

Therapy is not always helpful for everyone's situation it seems, but I believe that therapy can help guide us towards what is helpful, as we gain an extra set of trained eyes.

Good luck! Also, I love the avatar. Are you from happy valley? They have the best ice cream.

 

[kimba]

If you think you need to, then it's probably time. I played with the idea myself until a major anxiety attack pushed me into it. Then looking back, I can see I probably should have gone back sooner. Good luck looking and I hope you find someone you can work with sooner rather than later.

 

[hazen]

I would always recommend therapy to folks, but I would also always say don't settle for any therapist. I went to two people who were, for lack of a better way to put it, absolutely terrible. But I was able to find some good ones in the end and it has really helped me.

 

[ronin47]

Honestly your chances of finding a competent therapist from the civilian pool are just as good as finding one from the military pool. A professional being a specialist in something isn't necessarily a good thing because sometimes specialists will lump their patients into one specifically defined pool and their sessions turn into seminars that they've given a dozen times before. The first truly effective therapist that I worked with, the one who lassoed me in, enfolded me in a net of amazing mental health care providers and support, and ultimately saved my life in so many ways, was not an expert in PTSD or self mutilation. He was a clinical psychology intern.

Here's a website you may find helpful: mytherapistmatch.com

I'm always recommending therapy to people. I think it's a fantastic resource, it's just a matter of finding on that matches you.