I have to agree with 1914sierra. My T proceeds with great caution and even emphasizes that she cannot and will not push me if she sees me becoming too distressed. It is so dangerous to be retraumatized! I know some T's actually do this on purpose and believe it to be effective but I personally do not see how any good can come from it.

I am also curious if your T has experience working with trauma. Can you ask him? When I was unsure of specific qualifications of my T and whether or not she was competent in the specific area we were working on I was completely blunt and asked her if she had the training and felt comfortable with it. I see therapists as any other healthcare providers when it comes to specializing in specific work and experience level. It can be dangerous to seek help from the wrong type of professional when it comes to certain issues.

During those sessions where trauma is addressed it really is necessary and very important for our Therapists to ground us and make sure we will not die once we leave the session! I don't know how many times my T has called someone to come and get me, let me stay in another room for a while so she can check on me occasionally, or sat with me for a while longer to make sure I was okay. Again, like 1914sierra stated, she monitors my reactions closely and puts the breaks on it when I become overwhelmed. The way I see it...the Therapist is completely to blame if they do not follow through with these responsibilities if something happens to the client after the session.

I'm really sorry you had this experience. It makes me mad at your therapist for handling this so poorly and I really hope you are able to resolve the issue with him or find someone more competent to help you through that stuff.