Hangingon,

YES, I also experience the spiral. Even if I seem in control at the time I disclose the abuse, the spiral hits me a day or two later. Even though it feels awful, I think it's part of the process. By sharing, we're opening up the door to things that were painful and scary to go through. The painful feelings connected with those bad experiences also sometimes come out after disclosing. You might feel the painful emotions you had at the time the abuse happened, or you might just feel an overall feeling of being depressed or anxious. Your t can help you cope with these feelings. Also, as others have said, it might help to discuss the abuse intermittently, in little bits, with your t. And when you start to feel too overwhelmed, back off a bit and discuss other things until you feel rerooted and stable again.