Hi Trace,

I agree with you that many therapists do not know how to handle CPTSD well.
I also agree many often feel overwhelmed with the multiple traumas.

Therapists generally attend specific trainings. A therapist trained in Schema Therapy will talk up Schema Therapy. A therapist trained in DBT will talk up DBT, etc. None of it means either/both are the best choice for anyone/everyone.

I have seen more people messed up by EMDR than helped by EMDR. Seriously.
For one, a therapist must be well-trained in EMDR. In addition, it must match the client's needs. Many report feeling re-traumatized and some end up in the hospital for the first time. It's not a totally safe modality.

DBT appears to be more safe. However, DBT therapists may not be so safe.
We have two major DBT IOP centers in my area. One is considered safe. Therapists " in the know" will not refer their clients to the second one. Why? The staff is very problematic, condescending, unprofessional, etc. People end up in crises much more often when they attend the one with the bad reputation.

A few of my acquaintances have finished up in IOP DBT and then lined up private DBT therapists. They'd only gotten worse. Why? The individual therapists were overwhelmed and ended up undermining their clients' self-confidence. Next thing I knew, friends were emotionally crippled by the well-meaning, yet insufficiently trained and ill- supervised therapists who were reaching way beyond DBT and beyond their training, not knowing the damage they were doing. It was sad and frustrating.

My friend living out in the wilderness/off-grid is "recovering" from this type of thing with a poorly trained, poorly supervised therapist(s).

My therapists have almost always been highly trained pdocs. I learned my lesson when I hired a therapist twice -- it was not helpful nor healthy. It would have been very crippling if I had allowed it to continue.

My pdocs have done the therapy for years now. They will not recommend referring me to one of the PTSD or CPTSD therapists or IOP treatment centers, even some of the better therapists/IOP centers.
They have clearly told me the "therapists are not trained for CPTSD and are not well-supervised. The pdocs fear what might happen if I get into the "wrong hands."
My pdocs also recognize there is a lot of misinformation and claims of modalities helping when it's not the case often enough.

There is a lot of misinformation given on PTSD/CPTSD forums, as well. Many statements made are erroneous. I am baffled by some of the erroneous/misleading statements made by people unqualified to make such sweeping statements about diagnoses, modalities, healing, etc.

You seem to have a good sense of yourself and what clicks with you/for you.
Trust your gut. I think you have very good instincts. We've had to hone our instincts, they are still available to us.

In time you will heal and not be so isolated. Depression can set in and needs to be dealt with, as it will add to feeling paralyzed. The same with anxiety, etc.


WC

P.S. I do think CBT/DBT skills can be very helpful.
I like the mindfulness approach and had learned it many years ago and before DBT existed. I had started to train under a Buddhist monk. I had learned a lot of skills to help me. Now the compassion trainings are prevalent and Stanford University is doing the studies showing Compassion teachings are more helpful than the mindfulness teachings.