Posted by Happyflower on April 21, 2008, at 20:16:00
In reply to Re: well, i went to therapy and we worked it out » Happyflower, posted by sunnydays on April 21, 2008, at 19:54:45
Good questions Sunnydays, I will try to answer. I don't think there is a timeline or anything, the client has to be ready when they are ready.
But their are ways to speed up the recovery of desensitizing the issues so you will stop being triggered so much. But talking about it with your T, is in a way like exposure therapy, it will eventually will work, but it will probably take a long time.
Before EMDR and after, they used to do desensitizing of the traumatic event ever and over. You would think about the trauma several hours every day, until the memory loses it's power. It works, but it is very had and takes a long time.
Others use exposure therapy like the Penn Baker method where you would journal thoughts every day until the thoughts lose their power. This worked well compared to traditional therapy for Katrina victims. But EMDR trumped both of these methods.I think it also depends on how you are functioning to begin with if they want to do this. But there comes a point to where the benefit of making the client uncomfortable for the sake of healing is better then to let them avoid it. Eventually the triggers will lesson.
Even T's do this as part of their training in dealing with the horrendous things they learn from people's experiences. That is why they can hold it together when you tell the worst story, because they have been somewhat desensitized to such horrible things. Not to say they don't feel, but they are able to keep their wits about them to help you. But it is a balance thing though, for being totally out of touch with a client isn't good either.
My T said once crying for therapist is only bad when they are crying harder then the client is. lol
poster:Happyflower
thread:824616
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20080405/msgs/824673.html