Post session hangovers

I struggle after a session more often than not. Being sleepy and not very functional are normal and acceptable to me. The pain I feel though, is rough and I still don’t fully understand why it occurs. It’s like it hurts when someone is nice to me and it brings up painful feelings that I don’t know what to do with.
I tell myself it will ease in a few days and it always does but it is so hard to keep going back knowing how I can feel after. I am writing this instead of currently.
Who can relate? And how do you cope ?

My upset tends to come a few days after the session so at that point I will focus on the things which I find nourishing - walking, the sea, writing, yoga, journalling, the usual stuff. We have recently started a piece of work around how I can try and maintain connection in absence so I do a lot of noticing and reflecting on what is happening, including contacting her (we have contracted around this and she responds to me). I also try and do a daily meditation/parts practice which helps.

I don't self harm though, maybe someone else has something specific to offer about that.

The hurt is the awareness of the times when life wasn't "nice".. I use to squirrel away the feelings I got from the "niceness" and hide it like a dog hiding a bone feeling I had to hide what I got from it incase it was snatched away.. then I would eat to try to keep the feeling.. I think you're the other side of the same coin that instead of trying to hold onto it your trying to rid yourself of it because it feels to overwhelming.. Keep going back it gets easier.. I could be wrong of course..

I sometimes have had truly awful post session hangovers. There was usually something specific that triggered it. I also have felt that the main way to manage it was to just wait for it to pass. I tried intense exercise. I’m not sure that that really helped. Yoga might have helped. I view it as comparable to a flashback in PTSD. I think that something in the session triggers it, and I’m then taken back to something from my childhood, and I get a re experiencing of the awful emotion from that moment.

My worst hangovers happen after the best or most useful sessions I think. Recently I had a session where the words were almost too painful to say out loud. Even for myself. But I managed and said them out loud in session. Then I felt some kind of guilt or shame (even though my T was extremely kind and loving towards me about it all which I really appreciate) and now I’ve spent the week in all kinds of pain. I haven’t SH. I bought origami paper and started making that for the first time, and tried to be really present in the moment and just notice how I’m feeling. It’s difficult though.

Yes, this often happens to me after a really intense session, where a lot comes out that I've been holding in for whatever reason. Though sometimes that happens, and I leave feeling lighter. It depends.

I really like the origami idea. I need to find ways to be more present and mindful. Our daughter got an origami book and paper for Christmas because she enjoyed it at school, but I don't think she's touched it. Maybe I'll pick it up and try.

I wasn’t sure I’d be any good at it but it’s still nice to do…I don’t have book but I have just done 3d hearts and rabbits I found you tube videos on. Need to get some long paper to try out the 3d stars I think. Definitely try it out it’s satisfying to make them 😊