My T is trained in trauma and PTSD and it took me a good 6 months to feel safe enough to start letting her in to the deepest pain. Not that we just goofed off for 6 months - we worked and did painful work, but she gave me the "permission" to open up when i felt safe to. There is nothing like it when you are allowed to find safety at your own pace and once you do, there is no one you will feel safer with.

How do you find a councelor or phycologist trained in PTSD?

I've never encountered a human being who couldn't benefit from therapy. We all have problems, we all have things we can work on. Some of us much more than others.

Ask yourself this... what is the point of working with a therapist who doesn't believe you need therapy? Will the sessions be productive? Find another therapist!!!

I agree with finding a therapist trained in trauma, it makes a world of difference. I recommend CBT or REBT forms of therapy, I'm currently doing it and loving it!

I just want to offer my thanks to all of you who have commented - I've really appreciated the time and effort to help me through this current issue. I'm grateful.

I've taken the day off after a full night of physically painful panic attacks.

Thanks,
Rachel

Hi linasmom....I just noticed in your original post that you said your therapist said "she thinks you might not need therapy....she didn't come right out and tell you you did not require therapy???? I know that I tend to catastrophize things and I am not trying to make you angry or anything but I think you would benefit from taking a list of your symptoms and questions you may have for her. Ask her exactly why she said this to you and make sure you understood her as sometimes we are already so anxious and nervous even having these appointments that even small things get confused. Maybe it was a misunderstanding....trying to remain optomistic here for you.

If she is just not a good fit or a good trauma therapist than maybe you do requie one with a better fit fo you. There is noting wrong with wanting to feel comfortable with a person you ae telling some awful things too and it will only enable your healing to process in a much healthier manner if you really trust the person. I am sorry that you are going trough this. We are here to help. Take Care.
Pand

Hey Pandora!

You're totally right. She did say that I "might not need therapy". I took this as her minimizing my situation. It really hurt me. And so instead, I just went with it and took it to the extreme that she thinks I don't need therapy at all. Still, I don't think her making that statement was appropriate. I think I am going to look for a Therapist who specializes in Trauma and hopefully one that has experience with Complex PTSD.

-Rachel

Glad I could help...I think your ideas are perfect!

Thank you so much for posting this!...I am going through a transition in therapists also. I had been with my previous therapist for almost 2 years. I saw a new one three times and he asked me the last time what I wanted to work on. The first thing in my head was "I'm fine." Defense mechanism, I mean I was in that mode. I had just had to drive for 40 mins. to see him and you just have this wall that is up where you can't acknowledge that anything is wrong. There is nothing there. I think that this is the reason that so many times I tell myself " Nothing is wrong with you! You're just making all this trouble. You're making it up." (I really hate my internal dialogues!)

So, I am trying a new therapist. One closer to home. I hope I won't have time to put up any walls.