Trauma Therapy

[startingnew]

Hi Everyone

Ive started doing trauma therapy and am finding it rather hard and it brings up alot of memeories/emotions half of which i didnt know i had.

im wondering what others experiences are/have been? good, bad and the ugly please. im after different perspectives and hoping a few might be able to relate to my own experience as well.

thank you

[Just Sara]

Hi Essen;

Very interesting idea for a thread! Could you explain what Trauma Therapy is for those who don't know? I haven't been involved with this sort of therapy. I've always had fortnightly CBT from a clinical psychologist, and 24/7 self help.

The forum's of course the next best thing, but then I'm biased. 🙂

You go girl!

Sez

[startingnew]

Morning Sez and everyone

Perhaps Trauma Therapy was rather broad but i am after any experiences and i realise i didnt explain myself properly in the original post.

The way trauma therapy was explained to me was 'speaking about the trauma and then analyzing certain aspects of the event to be able to process and move forward'

The way my psychologist is running it is alot of 'talking' which sounds like CBT however there are other trauma focussed therapies like exposure therapy or EMDR.

So right now all of my psychology sessions are purely focussed on the traumatic event rather than the 'surface stuff' (my struggles in everyday living and she has included being able to cope is surface stuff)

so if anyone has any experience with any trauma focussed therapy i would love to hear them

[White_Rose]

Hello SN

Trauma therapy is interesting. I think this is what I do with my psychiatrist although she has not given our work a title. As you said, some of it I had forgotten or had not realised or seen it as trauma.

This idea is to recognise your past, in particular the nasty bits, to see what happened and how it is manifested in our daily life. It's not about being able to change these events as of course they are in the past. More about seeing them in a different light, or in some cases realising events happened that we have forgotten or have not realised their impact.

For example, if you find it difficult to trust people this may be because of events in your past that make it difficult. I imagine abused children would find trust difficult but childhood events do not need to be so harsh to have a significant effect on our lives.

In my case we have talked about events I witnessed and had forgotten, or so I thought until brought to the surface in our discussions. It seems these memories, even though mostly forgotten, still inform my relationships and interactions with others. Rather scary I thought at the time but I am now getting used to the idea.

One important point is to recognise this was not my fault. Children often blame themselves in these difficult situations such as parents separating. When it is brought to light and we view these things from an adult perspective it does show us what we have been struggling with from an early age.

Of course it is not only events and traumas from our childhood. As adults we experience all sorts of painful actions and 'forget' them as a coping mechanism.

I hope I have got the process right.

Mary

[White_Rose]

Hello Sez

I think there is a difference between trauma therapy and CBT. CBT looks at what is happening in your life, how you manage life's difficulties and what triggers you. Of course it is more than this but I think this brief comment is OK.

So rather than look for a cause for your behaviours, in CBT you are working on managing your thoughts and behaviours. An example I think is when I was in a car accident a few months ago. Some silly twit failed to stop behind me and crashed into me. Now every time I stop at traffic lights lights etc and I see a car behind me I get tense wondering if the car will stop before hitting me. In turn this heightens any other anxieties I have.

It may be useful to ask your psychologist about this. It may be something you want to pursue given the various traumas in your life. A word of warning for everyone. It is not easy and as SN has commented, it can be very painful.

Mary

[white knight]

Hi SN

A great topic and I will be following it if you can please keep it going.

Another thread you might be intetested in reading is "lifetime effects of childhood trauma"

Regards and thanks to all posters here

Tony WK

[startingnew]

Hi Mary and thank you!

over the past yr while ive been trying to find the right therapist so many have different approaches towards trauma dont they.. some say you need to rip of the bandaid (which is what my one that I currently see has just done) while others say go really slowly. I really like the way youve explained it in your second paragraph. I think we often forget how much truama affects our ever day living, choices and our reactions as well.


My current therapist is rather pushy I must admit and was trying to get me to tell my story on the second session. I didnt until the 4th session but in her words was- you need to talk about your trauma in order to heal and the best way to do that is to rip of the bandaid. Im only focussing on one specific trauma at a time starting with a dog attack for the moment. One step at a time.
She asked me to tell my story about that specific trauma from the very start to the end in as much detail as I could remember it. She asked me about even the small things like if I could remember the weather on the day. I still havent finished telling the story- thatll continue on thursday when I see her next. I havent really 'broke' in a therapy session however the last one I did (im sure it wont be the last either) and my therapist was rather teary too. Was a rather pain and hard session.


I find the more knowledge I have in regards to the way my mh affects me and my decisions, relationships etc its abit less scary as at least im aware of why im doing some of these things.
Do you (or anyone else find this as well)?




Your right- ive found I shut down and my brain 'forgot' a lot but really it hasnt forgotten just stored away in the subconscious part of the brain. Ive read quite a lot on here that when things just get too much they shut down, or they find they just cant remember. Its a good short term coping mechanism I find, except when I dissociate then it can become rather dangerous.


Hope its ok to as you (and everyone reading some questions too)

Do you mind me asking if your therapist allowed you to go slowly or was yours rather fast paced?
Did you find after a few sessions it become just alittle easier?
Did your therapist allow you talk about how you were coping in between sessions?

[startingnew]

Hi Tony and thank you ill take a look at the suggested thread as well

your more than welcome to share your thoughts and experiences as well

[White_Rose]

Hello SN

I started going to my psychiatrist after a huge event. I discovered I had breast cancer for the second time. I have to say it did not really worry me because all had gone well the first time. This cancer was a bit more serious I gather but still the surgery got rid of it. I had radiotherapy afterwards and then medication. Unfortunately the meds had an unfortunate reaction with my AD and I became suddenly (as it seemed) hugely depressed. It was so sudden and unexpected that I attempted suicide. Not happy to go back there.

At the time I was seeing a psychologist who was very angry with me because of this. I was shocked because that was the last reaction I expected. Not long after I was told this man was not a qualified psych and was being charged with fraud and forgery. My GP had referred me to my current psychiatrist who was then able to help me get through this rough patch. So not much past trauma management immediately. We concentrated on getting through this time although the psych did mention a bit about past traumas and the effect on me and applied it to what was happening at that time.

A bit nervous about writing that last paragraph. I've spoken about it before but still get twitchy .

I feel we have progressed rather slowly in some ways. The court case kept interfering which I needed to deal with again and again but through it all the psych was telling me about my past and its effect.

It took me a while to be comfortable with some things. It seems the older you are the more problems you accrue. 😊 I have been with her for two years. I take a while to get to know and trust people so this has got in the way at times.

Managing between sessions is a topic we talk about but I see her weekly just lately for various reasons so there is not much to say. Well actually there is stuff now I think about it. If I want to talk about something it's OK. Sometimes we have decided to talk about a topic next session but when I arrive I want to talk about something else that seems more important. I love the way she is flexible although there are times when we discuss the topic of her choosing.

I hope I have answered your questions . I do not mind you or anyone asking and if I cannot respond for any reason I will say so.

Mary

[Just Sara]

Hi Mary;

You wrote;

'It's not about being able to change these events as of course they are in the past. More about seeing them in a different light...'

Thankyou for your valuable input. The phrase I've highlighted is a gem because what occurs in our psyche isn't always bad as such.

In childhood after my Nan died, I took over the role of trying to protect my younger siblings from harmful behaviour by our parents. It was a role that was to cause me much grief as an adult, but there was one concept of grace to come of it. My protective instincts and sense of justice are both very highly developed.

My psych bought this to my attention during a session. Her direction was always driven by where I was at the time, but sometimes she'd lean forward, interrupt, and ask me to wait and think about what I'd said in a different light; this was her brilliance at work.

It happened on many occasions which helped me realise I wasn't as damaged and hopeless as I thought I was. I'd 'gained' something of value, and this in turn gave me value as a person.

Finding the right psych for your needs/personality is a tough gig at the best of times, but when you find the right one, it's life altering!

In my experience, many good therapists move around a lot, so looking for those who own their business as opposed to those working in someone else's practice is a better option for long term therapy.

Great thread SN! I'm loving the dialog...

Sez