Nausea

Does anyone else have a physiological reaction to therapy? A couple of hours before every session I start feeling really sick. As I walk towards my therpist's office, I feel like I'm going to die.

Obviously I know its a good thing that I'm going, but I can't shake these intense feelings of needing to vomit just before I go.

I'm pretty sure its a reaction to the knowledge that I'll be dredging up more stuff in relation to being assaulted. But I'd kind of like those feelings to go away!

I have been going for two years for PTSD issues, and I get sick EVERY week on therapy day. It's general nervous stomach in the mornings (I have an afternoon appointment) and then l get, um, diarrhea and weak knees & arms. The nerves and fear is just....gripping. It's decreased a bit, but I don't think it'll ever completely go away for me. I always feel much better at the end of the session, though. Like I've been reassured my T won't hurt me.

I used to start making T angry with me shortly after the session, then had to deal with that all week and dread the next session. (It was all in my head. She wasn't angry but I would twist something she said until I felt she was angry with me, wanted me to go away, etc.)

Then I started just getting extremely nervous several days before---outrageous anxiety, pacing, unable to sleep, tears, etc. (same fears even if I could convince myself she wasn't angry).

Now, after a year and 3 months, it's just the day of therapy I get nervous a bit. Then I remember I don't have to perform, I don't have to 'bring a topic', I just only have to go and talk about whatever comes to mind.

I try to hang onto a good, positive, soothing mental image to help me get through the nervousness. One I have is a fantasy based on reality: I see her face and I say her name: "T?" and she smiles and replies "Yes?", and I can feel her there with me.

I remember at least, that every time I feel nervous before the session, once I get there I feel wonderful and I don't want to leave.

I heard once about someone who would sing her anxiety symptoms... "My heart is POUNDing", "My stomach is NERvous." and it indavertently helped to relieve her symptoms. Can you sing?!

I hear ya. All week long I can't wait to see T but the day of my session I get sick and am a bundle of nerves. I wonder if it's because she's seeing the real me and it both scares me and gives me hope. Scary: because we discuss issues I've never told anyone before and because I worry that maybe the real me isn't good enough. Hopeful: because maybe I'm okay just the way I am and even though it's painful I believe I am healing bit by bit as I share more of myself (the good the bad and the ugly). Therapy is risky and it takes a lot of guts to really look at yourself. Maybe it's growing pains! Take care and know you aren't alone.

I have definitely had psychosomatic reactions to therapy. I will never forget this one session, that I went in so sick, I could not speak-- I thought if I opened my mouth, I would throw up. I thought I was going to have to get up and leave the office at any moment. It happened to be a session that I knew would be particularly difficult because I had been really angry with my therapist previous to the session and I didn't want to face that-- I wasn't used to it at that point. Perhaps you can find something that soothes you or comforts you prior to the session-- deep breathing, some meditation music, etc. Have you shared this with your T?

I used to feel sick to my stomach early on in therapy with this T. It was while we were doing trauma work. Now I don't feel sick anymore, but am not sure if it's because we are not doing trauma work or because I've gotten used to therapy with him.

Yes. I have this ritual (and I've always had this ritual) where I need to get myself in the vicinity of the therapists office between an hour and half an hour before the session begins.

I... Read... Or I work on a seminar... Or I work on my thesis... But I also contemplate my week and contemplate some of the things I'd like to find the courage to talk to them about etc etc etc.

I used to find that my stomach would start to get all queasy / squeemish. And I'd need to go to the bathroom a lot, too. I developed this slight obsession with the notion that I might wet myself in therapy... So I go to the bathroom several times in that hour or half an hour lol. I'm getting better with all that now... But that is probably a function of sessions being 'lighter' in focus...

Happens to me all the time...

When i feel like i am going to throw up he said maybe it is because i have to get something out.

When i get an eye twitch - he once said "hmmm....somthing you don't want to see?"

When my ears start ringing - yep, you guess it "something you don't want to hear?"

Also, lately my chest has been tightening up like i can't breathe while i am there and i've been getting headaches during session.

In general, i think i have strong physical reactions to what's going on - too bad I can't lose my appetite for a while...

I always get that feeling before I go. Since I have been going I have lost 30 pounds. I need to loose it because the meds I was on made me gain alot of weight. I know the combination of no meds and therapy have really decreased my appeitite. Once I am there I am usually ok. Sometimes I feel like I am going to puke when we start talking about something. My reg therapist says lets take a break. The other my EMDR therapist offers me her recycle box. LOL