[geez]

Does anyone have a therapist that specializes in PTSD relating to CSA/CA?

I'm debating going back to an old T (psychologist) or going to someone new who specializes in PTSD.

I thought I was done with things but it has come back.

[beauflow]

well I am not sure if my T specializes in PTSD-- but, she has mentioned a lot patients like me have the same questions when i mention some thing..

The new pdoc i saw does specialize in PTSD--- she is just for meds really as far as I see it now, BUT she did point out a big thing -- Due to I explained the whole thing with me switching Pdoc and I went against their "rules" of taking to previous pdoc and switching--- this new Pdoc said that-- With PTSD-- It really matters on how being talked to and treated.

So-- If your old Pdoc had a way of words, maybe- but I think if you have the resources to do so- I think looking for someone that specializes in it would be great --

I say that due to the first Pdoc just got out of school- he just wanted to basically focus on my Bipolar I felt like---and yeah he triggered me when talking , and even after words- and even bringing it back up i was a little blah.....

Be well I hope you find the help that you need

[Open Eyes]

How has it come back? Is it different or the same? Something new?

Did your old pschologist treat you effectively?

If you have the opportunity to see someone who specializes in PTSD, and your struggling, you may want to see if you can gain from the specialist.

Let us know how you make out.

Open Eyes

[Perna]

I would make an appointment with the old T, since you are familiar with them, and discuss it with them?

[geez]

Originally Posted by Open Eyes

How has it come back? Is it different or the same? Something new?

Did your old pschologist treat you effectively?

If you have the opportunity to see someone who specializes in PTSD, and your struggling, you may want to see if you can gain from the specialist.

Let us know how you make out.

Open Eyes

I think my old psychologist treated me effectively at the time for all my issues and CSA was just one of them that related to my past.

Currently my husband and I are in marriage T. On the subject of sex I thought the main reason for not wanting to be intimate on my part relates to not feeling emotionally attached. Since that has been fixed for the most part (I like/love my husband again ) we were intimate. (My marriage T said if there was any trauma in my past that hasn't been dealt she wouldn't recommend setting up an intimacy schedule ). I told her I was done with processing CSA with my old T and she said she believed me.)

Then my husband and I were intimate and afterwords allot of anger and hurt came up for me as if I never had these feelings before. It was like I was really feeling these feelings up close and personal. Almost like going deeper into a well. You can't see the bottom and it feels like it couldn't be any deeper and then surprise! I can see for the first time how this all ties together. It then leads to me with many feelings of guilt, disgust, anger, shame, sadness and having the reaction of wanting to hide like I wanted to when I was 5. Hide my body with baggy clothes and stuff the feelings down with a box of cookies. I get very quiet around my friends and husband. It is taking up space in my mind until I figure it out. I want to be Done!!!!

Originally Posted by Perna

I would make an appointment with the old T, since you are familiar with them, and discuss it with them?

I talked to old T via phone and the door is still open if I decide to go back to her. I feel relieved and scared at the same time. My heart got ripped out having to say goodbye and I don't want to have to go through that excruciating pain again. - BUT I do love her and everything she did for me. I told marriage T I don't want to go back to old T but I didn't say why.

The marriage T has an office across the hall from old T. I asked marriage T if she would see me as an individual and she said she can't fill dual rolls. She also said she doesn't think my old T is a PTSD specialist (I should ask and I will - and does it matter?). She is going to look into finding a T that specializes in PTSD for me. I guess that's where the confusion for me sets in. Do I try someone new who specializes in PTSD or go back to old T? I feel like if I go back to old T my heart will get ripped out again and I don't know if she can help me (she specializes in CSA) because I spent three years with her and these feelings have come back about CSA. I thought I was done after three years of therapy with her and yet this has come back?

Help!

[Open Eyes]

((((((geez)))))))

It is very challenging when something from our past, deep in the well as you mentioned, presents itself. What does it mean we wonder and because it comes up in such a surprising way, we can feel very confused and can even isolate. geez, it sounds like you have gained some ground in your relationship with your husband, someone who truely loves you and is reaching out. With this memory/doubt coming forward it is understandable that you feel troubled.

When the conscious mind is presented with these deep emotions/memories it is important to stop and think about where these memories/emotions are coming from. You have to learn this so you can address the doubts, fears, and questions these deep emotions/memories with a resolve.

Please understand that what these troubling things that come up mean is that somewhere in your past something happened that disturbed you in some way so your brain storred it as a warning that can say, is this a dangerous situation? And when you make that decision to withdraw and isolate, what that really means is that this warning means you have to stop and consider that you may be involved in a dangerous situation that may have lead to something upsetting in your past. But it doesn't mean that you actually "are" in a bad experience or even are headed for a bad experience now.

geez, here is where you have to learn to intellectualize these events that take place, these uncomfortable memories, things that frighten and disturb you. And when you are in therapy, the purpose for sitting with "any" therapist is to be in a safe place, with another person where you can allow whatever this memory is to come forward and with your therapist consciously interpret it and see that it is not what your facing now.

I think I talked about the danger of snakes as an example of something we learn as we grow up and we may even learn this by being bitten (this happened to me). We learn that there are snakes that are poisenous and dangerous and that when we see a snake we have to be very careful. gezz, if we do not know exactly what snakes are poisenous and what snakes are harmless, we will consider all snakes dangerous.
This is PTSD in many ways geez, this is what your learning now and what you have been addressing in therapy with your husband regarding intamacy. You love your husband and you are working on learning to accept him intimately in a way that you can trust, receive and even enjoy his intimacy with you. So, you have gotten to a point where you have learned that he is not a poisenous snake.

However, as you are learning how to see that geez you may experience certain kinds of intimacy where it may touch on a signal deep in your mind somewhere that troubled you in your past. It doesn't mean that your doing anything bad geez, or that you are supposed to reject or repell anything you have achieved thus far. All it means is that you have to learn that whatever precipitated this deep concern is truely not the same, not anything dangerous or hurtful or anything you are doing wrong in any way.

geez, the reason PTSD can be difficult to overcome is that one of the things that can happen, often does happen, is that when we do experience a trigger, we make a conscious decision that we will not do anything that allows these triggers of emotional upset to take place. This is why it takes a conscious effort to truely overcome instead of withdrawing. This is what other people do not understand about PTSD and what it means to struggle with it. It can be a very difficult process and because we may not know the depth of, or how many triggers we store, we do withdraw in confusion. And it isn't just a simple memory, it can be a very physical response of emotion, stess, and confusion and even a sense that we may, ourselves have done something wrong.

geez, this is why therapy is soooooo important. This confusion about a regular therapist verses a therapist that "specializes" in PTSD takes place, not because we have something that cannot be addressed. The reason why a therapist specializes in this area is because they learn that this process requires extra time, validation and a gently well guided process of treatment. It is not just about talking over bad memories, it is quiety, SAFELY, identifying everything that is present with these memories and complicated emotions. After that has been done, the real therapist/patient work begins. This process is not accomplished quickly, it entails often constantly, slowly, reworking the mind of the patient to learn how to "slowly" process bad memories in a way that will remove thier personal guilt and discomfort as these deep reminders come forward.

We can say, it is not now, it is in the past, or tell ourselves "It is not our faults", but that is only the beginning. A person with PTSD has to take more time to actually process "away" from the guilt, emotional stress, and all the feelings that are presented with these deep things that come out of what your calling a deep well.

If your old therapist is good at helping you learn how to do this, than a title that says " PTSD specialist" is not the be all and end all. What is important is having a therapist that you trust, have the special relationship with " that is what is important" and also a therapist that gives your concerns as much time as you need to address and finally process in a way that allows you to truely understand that you can understand and over come whatever is in that well. Your attachment to your old therapist is not something you should feel bad about, it is fine to miss that connection, what that means is that someone truely filled a deep need in you, that is a good thing geez.

Open Eyes

[geez]

(((Open Eyes))) All I can say is WOW and a million Thank Yous with a million hugs attached. Everything you said made complete sense to me and I agree with titles not necessarily being the 'end all be all'.

I will be rereading your response to my post to process it more as it has given me lots to think about and I thank you sooooo much. I hope this thread helps others who are asking themselves some of the same questions.

[Open Eyes]

((((geez))))
Your very welcome, you have been progressing geez, you deserve to continue to do so. It is soooo important you believe that. It is just history, you can overcome whatever is in that well. It is important you just give yourself time thats all.

Hey, I have to do that too, there is a lot in my well too. It sounds like your husband truely wants to be supportive, that is a big plus.

You have a very good quote to remember on your journey geez "ruin is a gift. Ruin is the road to transformation".

Open Eyes

[skeksi]

Really great discussion here! To answer your initial question, my T does not specialize in PTSD. After we got knee-deep into stuff ( a few years in), he suggested I consider switching to someone trained in some other modalities. For multiple reasons, and with his blessing, I declined--I have a very good working relationship with him that has been hard-won, and I do think what he is doing with me is working.

I think it comes down to 1) do you feel confident in the T's ability to try to help you, and 2)does the T feel confident in her ability to try to help you.

[geez]

Originally Posted by skeksi

Really great discussion here! To answer your initial question, my T does not specialize in PTSD. After we got knee-deep into stuff ( a few years in), he suggested I consider switching to someone trained in some other modalities. For multiple reasons, and with his blessing, I declined--I have a very good working relationship with him that has been hard-won, and I do think what he is doing with me is working.

I think it comes down to 1) do you feel confident in the T's ability to try to help you, and 2)does the T feel confident in her ability to try to help you.

skeski thank you for sharing your experience. I do think that old T can help me but I need to hear that from her at the first meeting (after I divulge what it is that's bothering me). There is a history there and to see I new T could be more of a problem? It's just that I feel like I would be starting over etc... Not sure what I'm going to do yet. I'll keep you all posted!

[JustWannaDisappear]

My T doesn't specialize in PTSD but she is taking training on Somatic Experiencing and we've been doing it most sessions. We're working very slowly. Right now we're working on my car accident from 10yrs ago. The thought of working on my CSA trauma makes me want to throw up.

Does a T need to specialize in PTSD or can s/he specialize in SA? If you're comfortable with your previous T then maybe start there? If leaving was too painful then definitely find someone else.

My T does specialize in PTSD/CSA....that isn't why I picked him, because when I went into therapy, I really didn't understand that THAT was what I needed to work on (I just wanted to feel "less stressed")...but it turned out to be just what I needed.

BUT, I've read (and believe) that the most important part of healing is the relationship between the therapist and the client. My T does NOT specialize in ED's (just the opposite, honestly. he is SO clueless)...but over the course of therapy, I've recovered from my ED. My recovery was SO not related to any specific therapeutic intervention, but to the overall healing I've been able to do, and I *know* that healing has been found in the therapeutic relationship.

I guess I could imagine a situation where a therapist could be totally clueless and unhelpful (especially around CSA), but it sounds like that isn't the case at all with your old T...it sounds like you have been able to do a lot of significant healing with her.

When I was trying to choose a therapist years ago, I talked to my T (although he wasn't my T at the time) on the phone and told him that I was struggling with choosing a therapist. He told me "pay attention and you'll know what to do". That really stuck with me. What is your inner wisdom telling you?

[geez]

Originally Posted by treehouse

What is your inner wisdom telling you?

My wisdom is telling me to not think with my emotions and stick with what works. However I've made decisions that weren't always right based on emotions.

I"m getting info on Monday about a new T. I'm going to call that person perhaps ? I do still love my old T and I guess I'm having old transference issues with that. I was just starting to get used to not having to see my old T and now I'm contemplating going back. It's truly a love hate scenario for me. Hope to figure this out soon! Thanks for listening

[Open Eyes]

The one suggestion I have to consider is that a therapist who is trained in addressing PTSD is more familiar with some of the successful therapy that is now used to address patients with PTSD. And a therapist that knows what PTSD is will often give more time and patience to one who suffers, can also be helpful in helping family members support the person who struggles, by also being patient and understanding.

Open Eyes

[blameme]

It is not always necessary to find a T that "specializes" in PTSD as much as the symptomology and edimology are the same as many other Dx's. I found a T that specialize not in PTSD but in a certain type of treatment call EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). This is known to be a very effective technique for PTSD. But in order to do this technique you MUST TRUST YOUR THERAPIST to the point that you probably have never trusted anyone in your life. It is one of the hardest things I have ever had to learn, but I can now function more days than not.

I don't know if this is of any help, but it is helping me.

[(JD)]

It sure does help to have a T trained in working with PTSD/trauma based disorders...

...yes, it does "come back" because it never truly goes away. There is no cure, presently, for PTSD.

Most all PTSD is treated basically the same way, whether the trauma was war or sexual... the basics stay the same.

Since the work is done so slowly, if you connect with a good T, have a history and trust a current T who might not be specially trained, if T wants to learn as you go (and study ahead of time and try to stay ahead of the treatment) it's possible, I think. The main thing is to take your time. The brain, you, all know what the issues are...and the mind/brain will decide the pace. It's important that if you do begin to have physical reactions to therapy that it slows back down.... it does no good to drag things out of you.

Be well.

[geez]

Since this post I had my last marriage therapy appt. The marriage therapist offered to see me for a couple sessions to do touch therapy/edmr as my issue is effecting my marriage. Since a chunk of time was left during my marriage therapy appt I accepted the marriage t's offer to try it right now. I asked that my husband leave the room because I felt awkward about it. We'll I tried it and while it was kind of weird it definitely brought up things for me and I found it to be emotionally draining and a little bit calming in moments. I'm feeling upset and bothered about it. I told her I didn't believe what she wanted me to say about myself/body etc..

In the end she said that touch therapy and talk therapy would help (i can go back to old t for talk therapy) and that she can tell I'm very unsure about this. I think after this one experience I definitely want to go back to old T. While I thought I would be open to sharing things with this marriage T I think she pushes to hard to fast and I feel very afraid of opening up to her (but maybe this is what healing is supposed to feel like?). Is this what touch therapy is supposed to feel like? UGH THIS SUCKS!!!!

geez, what happens in touch therapy? Is it what the name implies, and the T TOUCHES YOU? I am ok with my T touching me in very limited ways -- hug, pat on the back. I was a little less ok when he put his hand on my knee one time. I would FREAK OUT if a female T tried to touch me. My husband's T touched him in front of me once and I had a full-on freak out. Cowering in a corner on the couch, panicked.

[geez]

Originally Posted by My kids are cool

geez, what happens in touch therapy? Is it what the name implies, and the T TOUCHES YOU? I am ok with my T touching me in very limited ways -- hug, pat on the back. I was a little less ok when he put his hand on my knee one time. I would FREAK OUT if a female T tried to touch me. My husband's T touched him in front of me once and I had a full-on freak out. Cowering in a corner on the couch, panicked.

Hi I'm sorry I didn't convey what happened properly. The T showed me where I need to touch certain pressure points on my body but didn't actually touch me (acupressure). Pretty much EMDR.

I found it to be effective in bringing things up to the surface while at the same time it felt overwhelming and scary at the same time. As I got close to getting/feeling an emotion I would shut down. Kind of like hitting an emotional brick wall. Getting so close but then everything shuts down.

Hope my description makes it a little more clear.