Trauma Therapy for sexual and physical abuse
Hi
At the moment I am under the crisis team, however there is a plan in place for me to have stabilisation therapy and then trauma therapy with the community treatment team (once discharged from crisis)
I am wondering if anyone can advise on what to expect from the trauma therapy.
Will I have to go into detail/depth about my two ex partners and what they done?
How long does the therapy last? (Weeks/months etc)
Does the therapy actually help?
What if I become unstable during the therapy? Will they stop?
Like what if they don’t believe me or what if I’m not comfortable with my therapist or what if I’m not 100% honest about what happened because I get so embarrassed and triggered.
Am I making a mistake by going forward with the therapy? They say they won’t do it until I’m ready but will I ever be ready?
I just have so many questions and I’m very anxious about it.
@aszalay I am not an expert and I can't advise, but I can tell you some things I've been told by therapists I know (in real life here in the UK, not at 7 Cups).
Will I have to go into detail/depth about my two ex partners and what they done? There are two methods of therapy that actually work. One of them involves going into detail about what happened, with a therapist there to support you at every moment. The other one involves the same, but with some kind of left-right brain stimulation going on at the same time to support you. This second one is called EMDR, and many therapists prefer it. Apart from these two methods, there are no others that actually work (I've been told).
How long does the therapy last? (Weeks/months etc) It varies a lot from one person to another. In simple cases, weeks. In complex cases, several months. Never as long as a year, if therapy is working. But note that therapy for BPD can take longer, up to a couple of years if I remember right.
Does the therapy actually help? Yes. It helps and it's permanent.
What if I become unstable during the therapy? Will they stop? Yes. You are always in charge.
…what if they don’t believe me… They will believe you. Almost no doubt about it. Otherwise leave immediately without waiting for the end of the session and make a written complaint about the therapist. You are always in charge.
…what if I’m not comfortable with my therapist… Discuss this with your therapist as soon as possible. I'm not sure what arrangements there are for changing therapist. It's probably different depending on which trust is providing the treatment.
…what if I’m not 100% honest about what happened because I get so embarrassed and triggered. Then therapy will not work. If possible, discuss this issue with your therapist so you can make a plan together for overcoming it.
Am I making a mistake by going forward with the therapy? No, you are not making a mistake.
…will I ever be ready? It's a leap into the unknown, in a sense. So I suppose you can never be completely ready. But your future lies in that direction where you can leave your past behind.
I just have so many questions and I’m very anxious about it. OK, keep asking questions here, or message me, and I'll keep replying 😉
Charlie