PTSD Therapies

Hi @utopia and @SaoirseT

did the psychologist mention the goal of the treatment? It sounds very much like a mindfulness type exercise?

@SaoirseT.
Brilliant.
I had two sessions. The first I chose an easier memory - a panic attack. Just used the finger moving for that one.
My second session was the big one - my workplace incident that led to my PTSD & my being on Workcover.
My psychologist started with the finger waving - but I kept getting 'stuck' at a particular point - so then she grabbed the headphones and we used that technique. Didn't know it was ABAS.
It wasn't painful at all - physically. The noise / beeps weren't irritating. So yes - the ABAS worked brilliantly for me.
Has your Psychiatrist explained what will happen during the session? Even with explanations from myself and others - it would be good to hear what he expects to happen.
Initially I had 4 or 5 sessions with this new psychologist - so we could see what needed to be worked on - but also to see how I could be calmed down if I got too anxious or had a panic attack.
Once that was done - we started.
She asked me to recall whatever memory was there - but more importantly - to remember how my body felt at the time - tense muscles - sweat - accidental urination - feeling sick - heart racing, etc etc.
Then I rated - on a scale of 1 to 10 - how I was feeling. Usually a 9 or 10 out of ten. Pretty intense - but I knew her and trusted her & knew if I needed to stop - if it was too emotionally hard - that she would stop and calm me down.
She put the ear phones on. And a beep playedfrom one side to another. After 30 seconds or a mminute (not sure of exact time) - she would stop and ask me how I'm feeling or what I'm thinking. This is when it gets odd. Because we are dealing with the subconscious - so strange things pop up. For example - at one point - I was thinking of a dog! She just said to stay with that thought /feeling and we recommenced the beeps.
Some scary stuff did come up - that I needed to process separately. But that's ok.
By the end of the session - my big session - I'd gone from a 10 out of 10 - down to a 2 or 3. Then over the following days - it dropped down to zero.
I can now discuss that workplace incident in full - & have no bodily or emotional reaction. It's like talking about something boring - like putting the rubbish in the bin. Seriously.

@SaoirseT. Now that I've explained it. I think you need to sit down with yoyr psychiatrist and discuss it in detail. What he expects. How he can calm you down - if it's too emotional. How he believes this will help etc.
By all means, feel free to share my experience with him. He can then give you even more answers.
My experience has been really positive. It's like it moves the memory and therefore the triggers and response - to a storage facility at the back of your brain. I can remember the incident. I know how I felt during the incident and afterwards - but those thoughts no longer give me a bodily / emotional reaction.
I can still feel all of those emotions. They have not been wiped from my mind. It's just that I don't 'feel' them regarding my 'incident'.
I had EMDR or ABAS within 12 - 14 months of my incident. I think this helped.
I'd also been seeing another psychologist prior - & working on my feelings etc. I believe all of this helped.
Once I finished with the EMDR - then the anger came. The anger that I was placed in such a dangerous situation and that work didn't help or protect me. So anger and depression then needed to be dealt with. I've done this through CBT & a lot of talking with my therapist.
So it's not a quick fix as such - as there may be underlying mental health concerns that need to be dealt with.
But I can say - I'm not depressed now. I'm not angry. I don't react to that 'incident' & I rarely have a panic attack - only 2 last year.
I still have some mild anxiety and I have to monitor my moods to prevent a slide back intoddepression. But I've come a long way. And I'm never going back to where I was.
I wish you well, regardless of what therapy you decide to do or not do.
All I'll say is - ask questions of your therapist.
Good luck.

@Appleblossom EMDR is a number 1 recommended treatment for PTDS in Australia - the USA & Great Britain and I'm sure other countries as well.
It doesn't hurt - except for needing to 'feel' those emotions. It takes longer to treat some - based on how long ago the trauma was - how you respond to 'calming down techniques & how much trust you can put in your therapist. So it's not easy for some people and may nit be recommended for others.
I know with my work place incident - my gut instinct was the first to notice something was wrong. My body reacted immediately - heart thumping - sweating - shortness/ irregularity of breath - but also my sense of hearing and vision were hightened - as you'd expect in a "fight or flight" response.
So I think that's part of the reason they use the visual and auditory stimulation.

@SaoirseT. Being C PTSD - I like your psychiatrists plan for this to be done while on a hospital stay. It sounds like she is making sure you will have as much support as you can. I like that. You may not need all the support - but it's better to have it available.
The memories will be hard. As you said previously - a lot of it has been blocked out. So it will be tough. but you have the hospital staff and your psychiatrist and medication to help ease you through that process.
You without the bagage. It will be interesting to see. You will still be you. But I hope that you will have a greater sense of peace - of calm. Maybe an ability to make decisions freely - without the past intruding & influencing those decisions. And I bet that you will learn to like who you are. At your core. It won't change. But the core of who you are - may finally get a chance to shine.
I wish you well with this.
If at any time - even if it's while in hospital - I'd be more than happy to chat with you. You may also find some other threads on our forum may interest you & you find others to talk to.
It sounds like your psychiatrist has a good plan in place. It will be a huge leap of faith for you. You just need to decide if this is what you are able to do.
Best of health.