Also posted in " survivors of abuse " ... " Questions"

Questions
1)How do you handle your triggers?
2)How do you come back from the dissociative states the triggers can cause? 3)What's the best therapy for trauma/abuse?
4) Opinions plz: do you feel you need to remember everthing that happened or are there ways to cope without the details?

Tough questions, Melissa.
1) Depends on the trigger and where I am/what I am doing at the time. Also it depends on HOW triggered I am. I usually start sweating at least a little, and sometimes I have trouble breathing. So, I focus on my breathing, and sometimes changing location to get some air. I look for the doors, windows, ceiling tiles, whatever, looking for an escape. If I feel less trapped, I am always less triggered.
2) Breathing, focusing on something really safe and concrete and right there in front of me. The carpet and how it looks, lint or dirt on it, etc.
3) I am in therapy with a cognitive behaviorist and it's working well for me.
4) Jesus God, I hope not. I just don't even want to know all the details. I do not know if it's possible to truly heal without them, however. My t tells me I may never be able to remember it all, and that recovery isn't tied to remembering everything; it's tied to not feeling responsibility or shame for what happened.

1) I get violent/abusive (verbally, emotionally, occasionally physically)
2) I don't dissociate, I just get aggressive
3) No idea, they have all sucked so far
4) I would not like to know anything new or the details. Finding out new stuff/details would just make me more aggressive. Ignorance is bliss in this department!

3) Have you tried EMDR? I just started that concurrently with traditional cbt. If so, I'd like to know why it sucked!