Who Helps You More, Your Therapist Or Psychiatrist Or...?

[Hope4Now]

My trauma therapist. I have never shown as much of my hurt and confusion to anybody. I have never had the kind of kind, gentle, accepting, and no expectations in return. It has taken nearly a year and a half (twice per week for almost a year) and I am starting to be able to feel like it is safe (ish) to share my inner life. To not have to be on guard quite as much.

 

[PlainJane]

@Solara I'm sorry to have mislead you or others. I meant it as a comedic response. I thought the comments were nice about the forum and the help they found with people in similar circumstances. I'm really sorry :) I do agree with you whole heartedly. It's kind of like the human body, "all the body, by being harmoniously joined together and being made to cooperate through every joint that gives what is needed, according to the functioning of each respective member in due measure, makes for the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love" thank you Solara! :)

 

[Seasounds]

@Hope4Now, Congratulations! You bring up a good point. When I have let out my emotions to some non-trauma therapists, some get overwhelmed with hearing my deep expressions of grief and anger; they think I'm emotionally unstable. Not true; just had safe therapists who helped me experience and express emotions.

@Jane1991, you are sincere. One of the disadvantages with writing is that sometimes the audience can't hear a voice tone, to be able to know if a comment was humorous or not. I caught your humor. I've used the emoticons/faces to demonstrate what 'tone' or 'intention' I'm hoping to communicate.

 

[Notsowild]

I love both my trauma therapist and my psychiatrist. Both have equally helped me through this disorder. My psychiatrist has helped me with my workplace problems plus helps with my anxiety. I see her more often than my T. But then she is covered by our medical. It was just our one year anniversary and I told her I don't know where I would have been without her.

My T helps with my accident trauma plus my childhood abuse. He does exposure plus CBT therapy. He is kind and makes me feel safe.

And of course my family and this forum has been a godsend to me.
I have been very lucky to have them all. I can't choose.

 

[illusionist]

It was quite a solitary road for me. Had basic counceling and the rest has been working on myself, by myself. This place has been quite an eye opener where I've continually nodded my head in agreement and have a far, far better understanding of the journey I have made...and it is certainly helping with my not so rocky road now. I no longer have to live in silence.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

@Jane1991,

Sorry, I am not good at picking up those cues. I'll refrain from responding to you in the future.

 

[Danyel Lee Gaede]

For me the best help i got was from friends and the only true friends I have been okay enough to talk with about what i was going through have been others I spent time with in support groups. When i was state side I found several groups but where i live now I am alone even when i do not want to be, lol.

 

[Pencil]

Maybe I will forgo a therpist

It was my immediate response as well :). I had a bit of train smash with 4 therapists during a 3 month period in 2012. Not being able to go for therapy does depress the hell out of me at times. The responses here really do make me feel better about having only the forum and one individual as support.

 

[jaccat]

The friend at university who literally dragged me to make the appointment with the counselling service. If it wasn't for her I'd never have got any help.

My current therapist, who's helping me face all those bits I wasn't up to facing the first time around. What helps me the most- the way she can create a whole picture out of my fragments of memory. And the fact that she sets me challenges.

My best friend, who refuses to take any notice of the crap that regularly comes out my my mouth, always pulls me up on it, and insists on telling me that she's going nowhere.

My original therapist, who helped pull me out of the severe depression I was so caught up in.

 

[digger]

My therapist helps me and this forum helps me. I don't have any other 'ors' to pick from as I don't have support from anywhere else, and I don't think I could pick which one helps me more. I think it's the combination of the two that helps more than anything else, and I don't think either on its own would fully meet the needs I have at the moment.

 

[Seasounds]

In the world, there is a lot of therapeutic, non-professional support that is shared; I am one of the fortunate people to have encountered this tyle of help, before I could afford therapy, before I could hold a job, before I had insurance.

I need and want to acknowledge this, because without this grass-roots system, I never would have developed all the skills (courage to be vulnerable, courage to feel painful feelings, courage to sit in a room with another person) that it takes to get to a therapists office. I believes these support systems (like those mentioned below) can sustain people-they did me, for many years.

Like others, after one (the first) bad experience with a therapist at age 21, I did not see another therapist for 7 years. I was too frightened! Instead, I read all that I could get my hands on, about PTSD, about therapeutic tools (CBT, dysfunctional and healthy relationship dynamics, Mindfulness, etc.), I took self-help classes, and I went to 12 step groups, when I could tolerate them.

Now, thank goodness, with the Internet, sites like this, are part of the grass-root system, that sustains PTSD survivors, of all kinds, at all levels.

 

[PlainJane]

@Solara dont refrain from responding to me. i appreciate your feedback! :) I'm often misunderstood because I deflect with humor.