creative_writerSenior Contributor
Different therapy approaches for trauma
I had multiple mental illnesses, one of my diagnoses is cptsd. Right now I’ve been doing more behavioural therapy and my current psych focuses more on exposure therapy. I feel like I haven’t been able to get far, it’s not that it hasn’t helped, but I feel like I need a different approach. I find it super difficult to talk about trauma details, I’ve tried it before and ended up retraumatised. I don’t think exposure therapy is right for me. I’ve tried a few EMDR sessions in the past which helped, I have been contemplating whether I should revisit it. I would need to get referred to another psych for EMDR.
I have also considered art therapy (which is also not a focal point for my current psych). Sometimes I don’t have the words to describe the pain that is stuck within me. I want to heal. I struggle with somatic flashbacks and I’ve had to disconnect from my body in order to feel safe. I don’t always notice the discomfort in my body until much later. I also get lots of intrusive thoughts and memories. I think it’s been feeding my OCD thoughts. I also have bipolar and trauma isn’t helping with stability since so much is suppressed. The bipolar also makes it worse.
I’m open to hear about what others have found helpful and hear about experiences of different therapy modalities.
