[Behindthecouch]

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone else has ever been triggered by or in therapy...? I mean in the actual session itself.

Also, is there any way to prepare for this beforehand, or to stop from either completely dissociating for most of the hour or having a panic attack in front of T? (embarrassing)

All suggestions gratefully received. I have last-chance-saloon session shortly to see if I can stick it (therapy) or need to take a break.

I'm suspecting the latter.

Thanks guys

[Mouse_]

I am triggered a lot of the time, and dissociate a lot of time, but with the right sort of therapy, the dissociating lessons and I'm able to bear the triggers a whole lot better, thats the point of therapy I feel ... unless you have a very fragile ego state I do not understand why a therapist would halt your therapy because of triggers and dissociation???

[Behindthecouch]

Nope - she's not halting it - I am.

[Lenny]

Originally Posted by Behindthecouch

Nope - she's not halting it - I am.

Sometimes on long journeys we all called to rest.

Rest is as important as work...but only if the work is not forgotton.

I have been triggered in therapy...and I thank God my therapist knew how...to both trigger and teach me from where it came..

My best to you Behindthecouch...

Lenny

[Behindthecouch]

Thanks Lenny,

In fact, it has been suggested by T that deliberately triggering is a good idea but I feel it is beyond my current capacity to withstand. I don't think this is being understood, hence my need for a therapy holiday!

BTC

[gimmeice]

I have been triggered in session a few times and I've had two full blown flashbacks in front of my T. When this happens me and T decide to back off of the trauma stuff for a while.

[Behindthecouch]

Hmm thanks Ice,

Alas, it appears that T doesn't know the meaning of "back off". Hence I am doing it for myself.

[Mouse_]

Originally Posted by Behindthecouch

Nope - she's not halting it - I am.

Oh sorry, I miss understood. I know it does seem very hard at times, very, very hard!, but if you don't feel your T is handling it right then that would be scary.

[Rhapsody]

IMO - Therapy (after eight straight years of it) is always a trigger and will continue to be so until the major issues in your wounded past is dealt with.

I see triggers as my souls way of saying... there is another healing that needs to take place so you may be whole.

[Behindthecouch]

Thanks Rhapsody but without going in to too much detail, part of my PTSD is from an experience directly related/comparable to the therapy session so perhaps my situation is a little different.

Thanks for your help anyway guys. I think I'll call it a day.

[sorrel]

Therapy is the best place to have panic attacks and dissociation. There you are safe to work with it, right there and then. Painful and maybe embarressing, but ultimately recovery focused. Because you're not talking about it, you're right there with it. And yourself, in connection with your therapist, who is there for you.

[Rhapsody]

Originally Posted by Behindthecouch

part of my PTSD is from an experience directly related/comparable to the therapy session so perhaps my situation is a little different.

Very possible -Very Possible

I remember when one of the therapist at an outpatient program I use to attend wore her hair up in a bun type style and I could not concentrate in the class when she was present because some thing about her appearance always seemed to stir my PTSD - and it was not until she noticed this and talked to me in private that we realized that it was the hair duo (not her) that was stirring my PTSD.

She started to wear her hair down during the group session I was part of and all went well from that day on.

for me...therapy can be a trigger (okay for me anything can be a trigger)...it so happens my first therapist was lets just say...a lot less than ethical in her treatment with me. she violated professional boundries and was abusive...unfortunately i wasn't strong enough to really recognize or do much about it.

my current therapist is awesome and very safe. i totally trust her. sometimes tho i do get triggered and i slip back into a memory. she helps me come back to the present and we talk and deal with it. she shows me that we are not in danger now and that we are safe...

for me therapy is helping to heal from some of the damage caused by my previous therapist.

[Behindthecouch]

Originally Posted by stumpy

for me...therapy can be a trigger (okay for me anything can be a trigger)...it so happens my first therapist was lets just say...a lot less than ethical in her treatment with me. she violated professional boundries and was abusive...unfortunately i wasn't strong enough to really recognize or do much about it.

Yes stumpy. Thanks. That's it exactly. I'm learning what sets me off and what is safe at the moment. It's a bit hard to keep going with it, but we have to try.

Thanks again

BTC.x

[Perna]

Yes, the boy can't go to the witch's house when she's away on vacation and you can't find out and foil the wicked uncle before he does something wicked. I think we have to get triggered before we can see that trigger and dismantle it. If we're "alive" after being triggered, then the trigger wasn't attached to a loaded gun (an original trauma). I take a little comfort in that when I'm triggered. It's alarming at first to be so frightened but then realizing it's not "real", here and now, I can then start exploring and figure out the situation and dismantle the trigger.

[Christina86]

((((((((((Behindthecouch))))))))))))

I'm assuming that your T knows about the abusive situation and about some of your triggers? Perhaps you can ask T to change some things up if they'd help you in therapy to feel more connected and less dissociative?

I know that in the beginning of my therapy, I couldn't stand meeting in an office to get introduced to my T... so we met for coffee, strangely enough. That was a good "intro".

[Behindthecouch]

Thanks Christina

Originally Posted by Christina86

I'm assuming that your T knows about the abusive situation and about some of your triggers?

yep.

Originally Posted by Christina86

Perhaps you can ask T to change some things up if they'd help you in therapy to feel more connected and less dissociative?

have asked but alas, no.

But I think I'm going to persevere nonetheless.

BTC.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((btc))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Yes, therapy can be VERY triggering for my PTSD. Partly because I was abused by a therapist in the past, and partly for other reasons.

Luckily, T is pretty good about bringing me back from my dissociated state. But there has been more than one occasion when the session ended, and I had to go and sit in my car and "find me" before I was able to even consider driving home.

I am sure that the triggers/dissocation/etc are part of the healing - and I think that for me, if I just sat there and was able to be intellectual about everything, I wouldn't make any real progress. But that doesn't make it any easier.

I WOULD suggest talking to your therapist about how this is making you feel, how hard it is, and asking for help in coming back to reality. I think that is part of the responsibility of the therapist - to let us feel those feelings, move through those triggers/flashbacks/etc -and then to bring us back to SAFETY.

(((((((((((((((((((((((BTC)))))))))))))))))))))) It's hard, huh??