I am finding that talking is helping me. My therapist often doesn't say very much just asks one or two questions and then reinforces positives when I disclose things.
He is very kind and open to my need to 'dump' he trauma somewhere and I am finding that the simple act of saying and being heard somewhere totally safe and unconnected with anyone who knows me is lightening my load.
I'm really prone to overthinking and intellectualizing and rationalising trauma.
This therapy gives me a space to just cry and cry and feel sad and to grieve and to get a bit snotty and messy and emotional without fearing it will worry or hurt significant others or affect my professional standing and reputation as a teacher.
It's really surprised me how much just 'saying' has done for me.
My therapist doesn't offer any solutions, he just hears me out and reflects on the really strong and awesome leaps I have made in carrying my trauma and not inflicting it on my loved ones.
I am finding that having a place to offload is sorting out my anger, joylessness, depression and stress.
Letting it go on his fluffy couch and leaving it behind is allowing me to live without harbouring tons and tons of secret pain.
This is really helping.
This is really surprising.
I wanted techniques to cope and have found that just 'saying' somewhere really safe has taken away the need to cope because I am leaving the burdens at the counselling place.
To me this has been a big surprise because it seems so obvious.
But when I think about it disclosure is always something you initially want to do with safe people, ie loved ones, however with this sort of disclosure it can overwhelm and burden them because they feel a solution is needed.
I've learned that therapy for me, is the perfect opportunity to sort through pain and grief and anxiety without someone feeling horribly ill equipped to help or handle.
My therapist is like the worlds most accommodating and friendliest skip.
I pay and talk and he accepts and hauls with genuine ability to take the job and feel fulfilled by it.
I guess his joy is pretty up front, it makes dumping a load on him feel truly OK and for me this works.
I can't really explain how talk therapy is working for me but it is and I would recommend a try.