Realizing I Need More Trauma Therapy and Feeling Incredibly Discouraged
I don't have anyone else to talk to about this at the moment so I'm hoping someone here can understand.
I'm feeling really discouraged, anxious, fearful, full of grief and depressed about what I'm now confronting is more unprocessed trauma requiring professional help, particularly EMDR as recommended by my psychiatrist.
I'm very aware of EMDR, what it is and how it works. I've had multiple sessions of EMDR with a couple of different therapists, but unfortunately, both of them stopped after just a few sessions and I'm certain it has to do with the fact that I would often get flooded with emotions and overwhelm. Before those experiences I felt really hopeful with going through EMDR therapy, but after they both stopped I felt like that hope vanished.
I'd just recently discovered what sensory processing disorder is and the prospect of having it actually made me feel so much safer in my own body which is normally not something I have. It's enough that I usually struggle to do any physical exercise, even ones that might help me with my mental health or even just daily routines like taking a shower without feeling overwhelm. I met with my psychiatrist today, who is amazing btw so this is just purely me processing the reality of my situation, but he feels that it's primarily due to trauma that I have so many sensory issues (relating to an overactive nervous system). I am glad that he shared with me his view on things, but at the same time I'm feeling totally discouraged with the fact that I really do have a lot of unprocessed trauma STILL, even after years of some pretty deep therapy.
Overall, I feel so frustrated with the amount of trauma that I have endured that is STILL jacking up my daily life and requires more deep diving. When you've worked through so much like me I just was really really hoping that I might be through to the other side enough to no longer need such intensive therapy. It sucks.
I still plan to go forward to starting with EMDR therapy (will be a new therapist of course), but I'm legitimately terrified of re-experiencing more trauma, having to work through so many days of exhaustion/emotional dis-regulation while having to hold down my full-time job (it's not an option not to financially), and overall... just wanting to get off the cPTSD ride once and for all.
I wish I knew how long or how many more therapy sessions were needed before I could really be a more functional person.
Note: Btw, I'm not suicidal, I'm just really not feeling happy with the path out ahead of me... even if it is so I can finally be rid of the nightmares in my daily life.
Posted Apr 5, 2022, 10:47 PM UTC
https://mobile.twitter.com/loudandsmart/status/1440717598602108936
This reminded me of this comic ^
I know how you feel. I got an amazing therapist and made soooo much progress sooo fast and I thought I was reaching the top of the mountain. Then I realized it's more like I graduated from the highschool of therapy and now I'm a freshman in college... I was at the top of the lower level but now I'm at the bottom of the higher level, if that makes sense.
But you just work on accepting it and keep moving forward. Those feelings like you describe only lasted a couple months and now I'm just plugging away at therapy. I look forward to every session and I try to have at least 2 a week. They're extremely draining and difficult, but I feel accomplished doing the work. Just try to accept it and give yourself compassion. As long as you keep moving forward, you're doing great.