Posted 8/14/2014 9:36 PM (GMT 0)
Disclaimer: I like my therapist very much. Very, very much! He is the right fit FOR ME. I want to emphasize that, because I know his approach may not fit for everyone.
Since my "mother" was one of the perpetrators, next week I bring in a picture of her. No, we don't dance around my behaviour and symptoms. As he explained it, we could be at it forever discussing various symptoms and manifestations, but the point of working with PTSD (from his training/perspective) is to start at the beginning and then fan out.
We only discuss what I'm comfortable with, there's nothing forced. But we keep that end-goal in mind by understanding what we hope to achieve is to be able to face that trigger and have developed our coping skills so that we don't fly off the handle and freak out.
From this point, we discuss and he explains and even confirms why my behaviours are actually not uncommon for PTSD victims. We don't dance around the event, we start with it.
This is extreeeeeeeemely different than any other type of therapy I've been to where each session felt like me just rambling about what different things ticked me off that week.
He's very inter-active, he explains what he does and why before ever doing it. He always has a "map" so I don't feel like I'm just spinning around in an undercurrent, caught up in waves.
Yes, I clammed up and clamped up when this was brought up, but I'm also in this for the long-haul, and I'm in it to get over this. She's had a grip on my activity/behaviour/emotions way too long. This is my first ever adventure of me growing up!
M.