Posted by emmanuel98 on June 24, 2011, at 19:28:27
In reply to Re: Marsha Linehan, posted by Willful on June 24, 2011, at 8:14:58
Thanks. I was in the hospital for three weeks after an aborted suicide attempt and had bilateral ECT which did nothing but blow holes in my memory. I got to my p-doc's after I left the hospital and heard him on the phone talking about me. He told me he was talking to my DBT therapist and he wanted us all to sit down together. She insisted I make a safety contract with her for three months and contact her, rather than him, if I felt in danger. They both agreed she would be my primary therapist.
At first I was distraught. I am still in love with my p-doc and get upset at the thought of not seeing him. They agreed that I could still see him once a week, since I seemed to need that comfort, but that she would be the person I called if I felt unsafe. Now I see him and he knows exactly what's going on with her. I guess they talk every week.
Which is comforting. That they check in about me. But committing to DBT like this is hard. I have to work at it constantly. I developed this terrible anxiety right after our meeting, which was probably a combination of fearing losing my p-doc and fearing losing the thought of suicide as a way out of pain. I was so anxious I could barely think. I spent hours every day meditating and doing mindfulness exercises.
Now the anxiety has dissipated and I feel better and have to remind myself that I need to keep doing the work while I feel okay, so that I can easily calm myself when I don't feel okay, which is bound to happen.
I feel so lucky to have the help I have. My p-doc says that I am lucky not only that my DBT therapist really seems to know what she is doing and to believe in it, but that she knows me well.
I read about people with bad therapy experiences and feel so lucky to have not one, but two talented and caring therapists.
poster:emmanuel98
thread:989166
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20110511/msgs/989337.html