New therapist

@Former-Member

Thats interesting and has given me an idea thank you.

Hope the surgery goes well x

Calling it your cyclone sounds descriptive @lighthouse22 .... being buffeted by storm and wind. I'm so glad it's paying off for you.

Thank goodness I've finished my eye journey now. I've had the op, finished the drops and a week or two ago picked up my new glasses. So all done and dusted.

Starting EMDR isn't easy @Former-Member so you're wise to not take on too much at once.

Hmm I don't think I have a mental picture of a safe space now... what comes to mind is juxtaposed with feeling unsafe or with people I've lost. It would be nice to find sanctuary or feel at home in the here and now.

I just spent over an hour wrestling with mygov and setting up the Medicare app to claim on my very expensive therapy sessions. It was pretty opaque at first.

@Dimity I spent ages this afternoon wrestling with myGov trying to find outcome of blood tests I had few years ago. Knew should have been there. Finally found them and a date I was looking for.

when I sit at home and try to calm my mind I feel I’m fully engulfed by blackness. Can’t hear, feel or see anything. Last time I tried I pictured myself in lounge room of family home looking at a painting. After while felt I was in the painting. My therapists said they are both ways in which my brain is relating to ‘escaping to safety’ when I was a child.

Im lucky my mind hasn’t been filled with memories of people I’ve lost for ages now and when does they are happy memories now. I used to have unpleasant nightmares and flashbacks in which my mind used to distort and rob me of my happy memories

Heya @Former-Member ,

Great to hear from you. You sound so super organised!

I thought I'd share photos of this freshly-groomed pooch... she was looking so shaggy and unkept after her surgery... now she must be feeling as light as a feather! @Dimity @NatureLover @MJG017 @lighthouse22

What a gorgeous girl she is @tyme . Cheered me up.

I can relate to those feelings @Former-Member . And I have a painting my grandmother painted for me of some of the things in her house.

Hugs from Ruby Rose to you @Dimity 🙂 She's a bundle of energy.

@tyme She is gorgeous

miss trouble though when look into her eyes. 😹

Im trying to get certain things done each day so have everything done few days before surgery day. Spend few days with the cats before leaving them overnight.

@Dimity I have lovely memories of lots of things prior to when I was about 11yo. Photos that go with some of the memories also. Lost few very special family members during following couple of years that never fully came to terms with plus, what I learnt about decade later, health issue with my dad, I have big gap in my memory. What I do remember of those years is far from pleasant. I’m hoping through EMDR that future events don’t trigger me as massively as they currently do

Ive been lucky to inherit small number of things from my maternal grandmother.
things that sentimental value makes them worth more than gold

Yes @Former-Member ! She IS trouble alright!

Sorry to hear things weren't good after 11 @Former-Member but glad you had a better start. When I did EMDR I started with one of my earliest memories. So much unhappiness.

@Dimity due to getting my eyes done my therapist has book phone appointment for next session during which the plan is to start working on where to start. For my second session with her I typed up and gave her a timeline of events and age I was at the time which she has verbally referred back to different times in our chats.

9yo is where the timeline starts and is a very sad memory. Events during my entire teen years are the events that have left the biggest impact on my reactions to current day. Lots of negativity, sadness and fight/flight during those years

sending you hugs