[Trace14]

Has anyone tried the Prolonged Exposure therapy? Results? Pro's and con's?

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Trace14

Has anyone tried the Prolonged Exposure therapy? Results? Pro's and con's?

no I have never tried and never will try prolonged exposure therapy. short version this is picking something that upsets and makes you panic, have night mares and flashbacks and expose yourself to it for seconds, minutes to hours...

example if you get bit by a dog, then being around dogs makes you have panic attacks flashbacks and night mares, sit in a room with a barking growing teeth baring dog for hours on end having panic attacks, until either you pass out or you go numb and no longer care. then you do this the next day and the next and the next until you can sit in a room with a barking, growing teeth baring, nippy snappy dog the same breed that bit you until you no longer respond to it.

no not my kind of therapy..I would rather learn to manage my panic attacks nightmares about being abused, work related witness to a crime and huricanes with out subjecting myself to being reabused, re witnessing the same crime situaitons and sitting through hurricanes. I choose talking with my therapist, medication and stress reduction tools like medication and breathing exercises with out the retraumatizing factors.

[Trace14]

Originally Posted by amandalouise

no I have never tried and never will try prolonged exposure therapy. short version this is picking something that upsets and makes you panic, have night mares and flashbacks and expose yourself to it for seconds, minutes to hours...

example if you get bit by a dog, then being around dogs makes you have panic attacks flashbacks and night mares, sit in a room with a barking growing teeth baring dog for hours on end having panic attacks, until either you pass out or you go numb and no longer care. then you do this the next day and the next and the next until you can sit in a room with a barking, growing teeth baring, nippy snappy dog the same breed that bit you until you no longer respond to it.

no not my kind of therapy..I would rather learn to manage my panic attacks nightmares about being abused, work related witness to a crime and huricanes with out subjecting myself to being reabused, re witnessing the same crime situaitons and sitting through hurricanes. I choose talking with my therapist, medication and stress reduction tools like medication and breathing exercises with out the retraumatizing factors.

Thanks for your input and opinion on this topic.

[ThisWayOut]

Never tried it, but it's piqued my interest in the past. To my understanding, it's in effect flooding until you are desensitized (kinda like what amanda described, but not as against it as she seems)... supposedly, it's done by trained therapists, and there are supports in place... I don't know too much about it, but it sounds potentially helpful, though exhausting.

[Trace14]

Originally Posted by ThisWayOut

Never tried it, but it's piqued my interest in the past. To my understanding, it's in effect flooding until you are desensitized (kinda like what amanda described, but not as against it as she seems)... supposedly, it's done by trained therapists, and there are supports in place... I don't know too much about it, but it sounds potentially helpful, though exhausting.

You would think since this is a PTSD treatment someone here in the forum had experienced it before. I hope there's a lot of prep for it. My T wants me to start it. Actually she wants two treatments CPT and PE, but she thought the PE would benefit me the most right now. Why didn't you go through with trying it? Why is it that not many people have heard of it before? Is it something new? I know....a lot of questions That's what I do though

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Trace14

You would think since this is a PTSD treatment someone here in the forum had experienced it before. I hope there's a lot of prep for it. My T wants me to start it. Actually she wants two treatments CPT and PE, but she thought the PE would benefit me the most right now. Why didn't you go through with trying it? Why is it that not many people have heard of it before? Is it something new? I know....a lot of questions That's what I do though

no its not new, its an old therapy approach from the 1950's that is rarely used here in the USA. here treatment providers usually side on the side of do no harm, not purposely putting someone through trauma. even in college psych courses they teach those who want to become treatment providers to not purposely set out to activate ones symptoms, the goals are on stabilizing rather than re traumatizing or causing more psychological harm. like many other therapists my therapist and those in my location use the more modern and updated EMDR therapy rather than exposure therapy.

[ThisWayOut]

I haven't tried it because I couldn't find anyone that was trained in it. It's also a bit daunting, and I think I would need to be inpatient for something like that. As is, I have trouble processing my stuff even with regular outside support from t. I think it would be interesting to learn more about though.

It's also relatively new as treatments go. I think the VA is the only major organization to embrace it at this point. Most private practitioners are not trained in it, so there isn't much access (at least in my experience). I learned about it from a documentary on ptsd that I happened to catch on Netflix a few years ago (I know, right?!).

Do you have any thoughts around which you would prefer to try? Also, what's cpt?

My t told me that she would try this with me when I was ready
I've asked about it a few months ago and no one else tried it here either

I think I am ready to start it, so I can let you know how it goes when I see my T tihs week

[Trace14]

Originally Posted by amandalouise

no its not new, its an old therapy approach from the 1950's that is rarely used here in the USA. here treatment providers usually side on the side of do no harm, not purposely putting someone through trauma. even in college psych courses they teach those who want to become treatment providers to not purposely set out to activate ones symptoms, the goals are on stabilizing rather than re traumatizing or causing more psychological harm. like many other therapists my therapist and those in my location use the more modern and updated EMDR therapy rather than exposure therapy.

I got into real trouble with EMDR. I think that may have activated the other memories. I was seeing the EAU at work after finding my father who had shot himself. Then a deluge of memories flooded my head and it's been that way since. The EAU T was trained in EMDR but from what other T's have told me she may have introduced that to me too soon. So I guess all therapies have pro's and con's , and each client is different. So results will vary.
Thanks for the input though

[Trace14]

Originally Posted by ThisWayOut

I haven't tried it because I couldn't find anyone that was trained in it. It's also a bit daunting, and I think I would need to be inpatient for something like that. As is, I have trouble processing my stuff even with regular outside support from t. I think it would be interesting to learn more about though.

It's also relatively new as treatments go. I think the VA is the only major organization to embrace it at this point. Most private practitioners are not trained in it, so there isn't much access (at least in my experience). I learned about it from a documentary on ptsd that I happened to catch on Netflix a few years ago (I know, right?!).

Do you have any thoughts around which you would prefer to try? Also, what's cpt?

Yes the VA is really embracing it. Part of a PTSD hub training. The CPT is Cognitive Processing Therapy. Have no idea what that's about either. A documentary about PTSD on Netflix? LOL , well okay
I expect they make a safe environment for the client while doing this. And as always the client can say stop, and withdraw from that treatment plan. But if it has helped with others might be worth a try.
I asked the T which one she thought would benefit me more right now and she said the PE. She's a PTSD expert so I'm kind of thinking she feels like this is a good option. At least it's a weekly check in and not like the long waits between sessions with the other T. That has been a big concern of mine of opening Pandora's box and not being able to get that heffer back in the box before leaving. Time and experience will tell though.

[Trace14]

Originally Posted by Kori Anders

My t told me that she would try this with me when I was ready
I've asked about it a few months ago and no one else tried it here either

I think I am ready to start it, so I can let you know how it goes when I see my T tihs week

Awesome, please do share what you feel comfortable with. Looks like we all need a little edu-ma-cation (Southern for education) on it Thanks.

I am currently working on a pros and cons list for doing PE.

My therapist told me here's what would happen in our sessions when we start:
I would talk to her about a traumatic experience in really extensive detail, over and over. Then, while I was talking about it, she will record what I am saying on a tape recorder and send it home with me to listen to while I am alone. She said I would only have to listen to it once a day.

Then I'd have to go out into places/do things that trigger the PTSD. Such as, eating something that reminds me of the trauma, or listening to a song that played on the radio during the trauma or things like that.

So there's a lot of homework involved and it sounds really hard.
When my T was explaining this she said I looked "petrified"

[Trace14]

Originally Posted by Kori Anders

I am currently working on a pros and cons list for doing PE.

My therapist told me here's what would happen in our sessions when we start:
I would talk to her about a traumatic experience in really extensive detail, over and over. Then, while I was talking about it, she will record what I am saying on a tape recorder and send it home with me to listen to while I am alone. She said I would only have to listen to it once a day.

Then I'd have to go out into places/do things that trigger the PTSD. Such as, eating something that reminds me of the trauma, or listening to a song that played on the radio during the trauma or things like that.

So there's a lot of homework involved and it sounds really hard.
When my T was explaining this she said I looked "petrified"

Well yeah, I would be petrified also. My question is with CPTSD there are so many traumas, and known and unknown triggers, how do they control more than one trauma being dealt with? Thanks for this information, something to think about. If there were only one trauma to deal with this may be something to work with. Ya know?

My therapist said that with multiple traumas the goal would be to work through all the major traumas. She said it's a pretty fast-working treatment, but it can take time to get through every trauma.

Especially with CPTSD.

[Trace14]

Almost makes me want to vomit just thinking about that. My pet is dying as we speak, and I'm pretty much an emotional wreck, so maybe that's what has me so sick feeling.

[Trace14]

Originally Posted by Kori Anders

My therapist said that with multiple traumas the goal would be to work through all the major traumas. She said it's a pretty fast-working treatment, but it can take time to get through every trauma.

Especially with CPTSD.

Did she say what percent make it through the treatment? I can see where people would not be up to this much exposure. I wonder if hypnosis would help.