Trauma Therapy, What To Expect?

[amosmorris]

Hang in there, @amosmorris, you are doing such hard work!

Thanks @Lola Nocheprieta ....T tells me we are "going to grow together"...I am hanging on by a thread. So hard I can't believe the pain. Thank you so much for being out there somewhere. :hug:

 

[Arebas]

@amosmorris I remember that post. We are indeed vulnerable. But at least in therapy, we don't have to be afraid to let that vulnerability show, right? We can let it show and hope the T doesn't use it against us. Hope is key. And man, is it hard.

 

[amosmorris]

@amosmorris I remember that post. We are indeed vulnerable. But at least in therapy,...

I said to her at our very difficult session this week--"I just need you to not abuse me"--:cry:

 

[Arebas]

I said to her at our very difficult session this week--"I just need you to not abuse me"--:cry:[/QUO...

That makes me sad. I'm sad that you felt the need to make that request. :(

 

[amosmorris]

That makes me sad. I'm sad that you felt the need to make that request. :(

Yeah me too. I think the impulse was twofold: 1) I was trying to make the point that there were ways in which I think she can be more revealing of herself without being abusive--that she could (and I'd expect her to) know how to NOT do to me the things I've already experienced...so in other words there's a middle ground possible and I need her to find it; and 2) that--yes--I need her to not recreate cycles I've already been through and that are for sure causing me to freak out around her non-disclosure stance...in some ways for me the rigid non-disclosure is (or I should say feels) abusive to the extent that I associate secrets with something bad, that there's something bad hiding behind there.
But anyway--thank you, @Arebas --this has all been really hard and I'm definitely in a vulnerable, scrambling state.

 

[katz]

Yes, to what @Friday said, especially re prioritizing stabilization, i.e.,...

Thank you so, so much for this excellent account of the differences in those therapies. I am between T right now and can't decide if I'm ready to try something different and a bit more challenging. So, I wondered about finding someone who has training in some thing other then the standard, "just talk" ways.

 

[Lola Nocheprieta]

Thank you so, so much for this excellent account of the differences in those therapies. I am between T rig...

Yes, trauma therapy really is different than "talk therapy" that focuses on day-to-day stuff. It takes a deep dive into the past trauma, and is not for the faint hearted. But it works. Good luck finding just the right T for you!

 

[recoveringfromptsd]

trauma therapy really is different than "talk therapy" that focuses on day-to-day stuff. It takes a deep dive into the past trauma, and is not for the faint hearted

I can certainly attest to that statement, I am just beginning with an abuse therapist and it's like going thru it all over again except I am having to do it in the here and now, where I know I am no longer in danger and am safe from harm. Safety is an major part of the process, feeling unsafe is expected, but it's also expected to not act on urges. So having some DBT skills beforehand is very important.

 

[gealach]

I've done a couple of sessions now, but I had to cancel today's session because I'm home sick :grumpy:.

We started emdr, and it's weird! It seems to be working though. We started light, with my childhood abuse. It's stuff I had pretty much put to bed, but that I hadn't spoken about before. It felt terrible to admit to someone just how bad it really was, but I'm not carrying any of the emotion from those experiences.

Like I said, it's just weird.

We're starting on the current traumas next. I think that's going to be a longer, more difficult process.

 

[Lori0122]

How did you get passed the protective mode?

Sorry, just saw this reply. I didn't get passed it really, I just got tired and exhausting from trying to keep it up so when I found a T who really got what was happening and felt safe, I was able to push myself passed boundaries I've maintained for so long. It's still hard and after sending her an email on Monday that felt like I was saying too much, I'm very nervous about seeing her tomorrow but I also know we will work through it together.

 

[Chloe44]

No, I don't. What is the difference between trauma therapy versus 'regular' therapy?

I'm not sure what the difference is either, I've been seeing a Psychotherapist and Psychiatrist for 10 years! And funny thing is....the older I get....the worse I feel...???

 

[recoveringfromptsd]

Trauma therapy is very specific, while a lot of clinicians attempt to deal with trauma, it really is a specialty, the clinician needs to know how to address trauma, one of the things my trauma therapist has done is help me put my hypervigilance in perspective with ways it plays out in the present day.