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Would like to know how & where to get help.
- Post starter Edith
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Unfortunately in the UK one has to know the system in order to "present" in a way that gets the appropriate assistance. Now you have a C-PTSD diagnosis you can read around the subject. I would recommend Bessel van der Kolk's book "The body keeps the score" It's a bit academic in places but you can skip to the bits about what works for PTSD and C-PTSD.
I have found my way by accident to many of the things he recommends, specifically Yoga, Massage and Dance. These things are much cheaper than therapy. When done appropriately they seem to be as effective if not more effective that conventional talk therapy particularly if the therapist doesn't "get" C-PTSD. Kolk's book gives the info behind why body orientated stuff works rather than straight talk therapy. He also describes why meds may help in the short term , but the benefits cease if the meds are stopped.
I am wary of TRE..... I looked at it and wasn't impressed by the training..... this stuff isn't about the certificates, it's about the bodyworker being able to "hold the space" so the traumatised person can move in and out of the experience to build trust along the way. It's important to realise this takes a long long time..... so finding something that you can afford for a long period is best..... I've been going to my dance class for about 4 years now. It's not just the bodywork, it's the relationships that are at the core of recovery.... learning to trust again.... which isn't something one does consciously.... it's a deep brain thing.
The caring thing is also significant.... part of learning to recover is learning to care for oneself, which maps into C-PTSD recovery. My experience of caring was that it was essential to work out what I needed to support myself.... and it was this that led me into discovering yoga/dance/massage as powerful agents of change. Fortunately there's now a lot of stuff happening for carers in the UK so you can find info online from a range of carers support services. In my area, we have a thing called "Respitality" which offers carers various services such as massages, and short breaks for free.
I have found my way by accident to many of the things he recommends, specifically Yoga, Massage and Dance. These things are much cheaper than therapy. When done appropriately they seem to be as effective if not more effective that conventional talk therapy particularly if the therapist doesn't "get" C-PTSD. Kolk's book gives the info behind why body orientated stuff works rather than straight talk therapy. He also describes why meds may help in the short term , but the benefits cease if the meds are stopped.
I am wary of TRE..... I looked at it and wasn't impressed by the training..... this stuff isn't about the certificates, it's about the bodyworker being able to "hold the space" so the traumatised person can move in and out of the experience to build trust along the way. It's important to realise this takes a long long time..... so finding something that you can afford for a long period is best..... I've been going to my dance class for about 4 years now. It's not just the bodywork, it's the relationships that are at the core of recovery.... learning to trust again.... which isn't something one does consciously.... it's a deep brain thing.
The caring thing is also significant.... part of learning to recover is learning to care for oneself, which maps into C-PTSD recovery. My experience of caring was that it was essential to work out what I needed to support myself.... and it was this that led me into discovering yoga/dance/massage as powerful agents of change. Fortunately there's now a lot of stuff happening for carers in the UK so you can find info online from a range of carers support services. In my area, we have a thing called "Respitality" which offers carers various services such as massages, and short breaks for free.
I find it interesting that you would recommend yoga, or dance, or massage, assuming that they are trained to "hold space" for a client at anywhere near a necessary level for a traumatized client. Having a son who is a yoga teacher, and having been in yoga, I can almost assure you, they aren't. Dance? They call 9-1-1 if someone floods. I would also wonder just where you "looked" at the training, because when I looked, much of what is required isn't written down, because it has to be done in person and is established between the trainer and trainee. Your knowledge also fails to recognize the concept of TRE, or it's history, and what drove its creation.
Having done yoga, massage and TRE, I found the TRE professional by far and away the more knowledgeable of any body work modality when it comes to the necessary knowledge and training relative to stress and trauma. Far more than most doctors, I wouldn't put any dance instructor in that category, and I was in a TRE class that was mostly made up of body workers and yoga teachers who had no idea about the nervous system discharge response. I was an EMT, and we never received any training on that, and it would be quite useful for preventing PTSD as well as being more aware for the patients we saw.
Oh, I should mention that the yoga, EMDR, talk therapy, tai chi, fitness training, music making, acting and other self-directed efforts to ease the madness I had done throughout the 58 previous years of my life, all taught by highly qualified teachers of their respective fields yet never once brought up their arts healing benefit or their skill, let alone desire to hold space, did little for my PTSD. It took the edge off by way of distraction, but little else. I had lost interest in spending all my time managing my symptoms and thinking that was a life. I wanted to heal so I could live. Only TRE did that for me. And, I did that the way it was meant to be: at home, by myself.
The US and the rest of the world are different. The thread has been started by someone in the UK looking for practical advice. You may have had a great TRE experience in the US, my comments come from a UK perspective where training and accreditation are very different.
Yes there are many dodgy certified practitioners of many types here, just as in the US, however the TRE training I have come across could not produce a skilled trauma practitioner on it's own, as this would take years rather than days of work.
My post was trying to say that it's not what you do, it's the innate skill of the person one works with that makes the difference. My own experience is that it took a while to differentiate between someone who talked a good game and had the certificates, and someone who actually knew what they were doing. Both types charged the same amount, both were booked out, but over time I found that the grounded practitioners tended to attract grounded participants, could handle challenges and questions and modelled a way of being that was congruent with living a fulfilling and sustainable life on many levels.
Yes there are many dodgy certified practitioners of many types here, just as in the US, however the TRE training I have come across could not produce a skilled trauma practitioner on it's own, as this would take years rather than days of work.
My post was trying to say that it's not what you do, it's the innate skill of the person one works with that makes the difference. My own experience is that it took a while to differentiate between someone who talked a good game and had the certificates, and someone who actually knew what they were doing. Both types charged the same amount, both were booked out, but over time I found that the grounded practitioners tended to attract grounded participants, could handle challenges and questions and modelled a way of being that was congruent with living a fulfilling and sustainable life on many levels.
digger
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If private therapy isn't an option for you, and I appreciate that for many it is not, I would strongly advise looking at charities. Some offer support for free, some on a low fee compared to private therapy.
You could also try getting in touch with MIND if you haven't already done so as they will be able to advise best what is available to you in your area. They also may be able to provide some level of advocacy if you wish to continue getting better support through the NHS. MIND services vary depending on where you live, but it's worth asking.
You could also try getting in touch with MIND if you haven't already done so as they will be able to advise best what is available to you in your area. They also may be able to provide some level of advocacy if you wish to continue getting better support through the NHS. MIND services vary depending on where you live, but it's worth asking.
Ha, me too! It does make things more difficult to access, both in terms of what's available and how accessible they might be, but hopefully there's something out there for you more suitable than you're currently receiving.
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- #18
Hi Kilted - Thanks for that.
I agree about meds. I do take St John's Wort & find that really helpful. Had a very bad reaction to other prescribed anti-depressants.
The psych is not recognising that I have C-PTSD & reckons I have BPD. Which I doubt I have.
I wish there was yoga class nearer I would definately go as done it in the past & loved it. I should try & do it myself but feel I need a class.
I will look at the book.
Many thanks & cheers for your input. It's appreciated.
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- #19
Hi Digger - I did get an advocate to come to meeting with psychiatrist as I felt I wasn't getting 'heard'. The advocate was quite good & she said that she didn't think I was getting dealt with professionally but what with cut backs & stuff that is what is happening - you get offered drugs & little if anything else. She has been attempting to get her to remove the file she did on me or part of it as it's pretty unnecessarily detailed with stuff from my family background & also get her to remove reference to BPD which I doubt she will as that would be an admission she made a mistake.
I just need to know what to do to function better - to stop the fog descending when I get in a pickle!
I'll look at charity stuff. It's just I'm wandering around not knowing what's best now.
The Albatross
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Sticking to management is key. Practice, persistence, patience and perseverance. 26-28 days makes a new habit... 6 months a new behavior.
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- #21
One thing one can do is read around/research the subject. This means that when psychs and therapists talk rubbish, you know they're talking rubbish and have the choice to call them on it. I have found that reading and learning about mental health has been the most powerful way of addressing my symptoms. One thing this does is increase autonomy and choice. It reduces the sense of helplessness that can overwhelm us in the face of bureaucracy and professional indifference/incompetence.
Two book I have found useful are Bessel van der Kolk's "The Body Keeps the Score" and Judith Herman's "Trauma and Recovery. Louis Cozolino's "The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy" is also interesting, but very heavy!
Judith Herman's classic states that Boderderline Personality disorder is old fashioned and shouldn't have a place in modern diagnosis. Likewise ven der Kolk has an excoriating view of the APA after attempts to add a C-PTSD diagnosis to the DSM were ignored.... knowing this stuff helps level the playing field and boost confidence when confronted by diagnosis spouting psychs and therapists.
Two book I have found useful are Bessel van der Kolk's "The Body Keeps the Score" and Judith Herman's "Trauma and Recovery. Louis Cozolino's "The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy" is also interesting, but very heavy!
Judith Herman's classic states that Boderderline Personality disorder is old fashioned and shouldn't have a place in modern diagnosis. Likewise ven der Kolk has an excoriating view of the APA after attempts to add a C-PTSD diagnosis to the DSM were ignored.... knowing this stuff helps level the playing field and boost confidence when confronted by diagnosis spouting psychs and therapists.
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- #23
Thanks for that - but I don't see how I can increase my choice or autonomy. I went seeking help & none is available apart from drugs it would seem.
I now have a massive file in my medical records with pages of past abuse & other highly personal information that is of no benefit to me and is not what I would say relevant to my medical records.
I don't know what APA is but i do know that I have not been treated well nor in a helpful manner.
I now have a massive file in my medical records with pages of past abuse & other highly personal information that is of no benefit to me and is not what I would say relevant to my medical records.
I don't know what APA is but i do know that I have not been treated well nor in a helpful manner.
You are talking about 2 separate things.... the seeking of support and the personal records.
The records thing only matters within the NHS, and is a battle probably best left for when you're on top of your game.
You are unlikely to get "support" from within the NHS as the NHS is geared up to be a service that delivers "outcomes" that are measured using financial criteria. It runs on a medical model, Symptom checkist -> Diagnosis -> Treatment. The process is not in your hands, diagnosis is given to you, treatment is done to you. Despite their best efforts financial issues mean the people you see cannot give you the support they probably know you need and the best they can do is offer symptom alleviation through meds.
This means one has to look elsewhere for support..... which is where the private/charitable/third sector comes in. The key is to understand that you have choices. To work out what the options are, one needs to do a bit of research. Just doing this counters the feeling of helplessness associated with NHS bureaucracy.
Sometimes in the UK we find it difficult to understand that the NHS is not the only option..... and that there are many things that work that aren't NHS approved. Over time, something as simple as Reiki an hour a week can help.... support is not always verbal..... it can be another person being there for you, focusing on you.... an hour a week.
The reason I mentioned the books is that if you read around the subject of trauma one begins to realise just how out of touch the medical establishment is around how to treat C-PTSD. With the knowledge from the books and online research one can explore and experiment with different options that are more effective than anything the NHS can give you.
The records thing only matters within the NHS, and is a battle probably best left for when you're on top of your game.
You are unlikely to get "support" from within the NHS as the NHS is geared up to be a service that delivers "outcomes" that are measured using financial criteria. It runs on a medical model, Symptom checkist -> Diagnosis -> Treatment. The process is not in your hands, diagnosis is given to you, treatment is done to you. Despite their best efforts financial issues mean the people you see cannot give you the support they probably know you need and the best they can do is offer symptom alleviation through meds.
This means one has to look elsewhere for support..... which is where the private/charitable/third sector comes in. The key is to understand that you have choices. To work out what the options are, one needs to do a bit of research. Just doing this counters the feeling of helplessness associated with NHS bureaucracy.
Sometimes in the UK we find it difficult to understand that the NHS is not the only option..... and that there are many things that work that aren't NHS approved. Over time, something as simple as Reiki an hour a week can help.... support is not always verbal..... it can be another person being there for you, focusing on you.... an hour a week.
The reason I mentioned the books is that if you read around the subject of trauma one begins to realise just how out of touch the medical establishment is around how to treat C-PTSD. With the knowledge from the books and online research one can explore and experiment with different options that are more effective than anything the NHS can give you.
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