Psychodynamic psychotherapy

[Quootiepie]

Hiya,
Some may know (theres been enough big threads about it I have just been (finally) diagnosed with PTSD after an overdose.

Ive had abit of counselling in the past (a few years ago), CBT and been on diazepam, ADs and sleeping tablets, but nothing has really "cured me".

Luckily, the fella at A & E rightly diagnosed me with PTSD (not depression as the primary "illness") (I did have an inkling it was PTSD, but was too scared to tell GP for some reason), and after telling him a few of the reasons behind my OD, he suggested this type of therapy. Mainly because there is so many reasons behind it all.

I have googled it abit, but I would really really appreciate it if people could tell me abit more about it, or if they have had it, if it worked, what its like, what it is etc. My GP hadn't even heard of it!

Thanks in advance xXx

Don't know much about it but wanted to say how glad I am that you are getting the help you need and I really hope this works for you.

oh, thanks Fingers crossed, eh?

this is a link to what good old wikipedia has to say about psychodynamic psychotherapy:-

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychodynamic_psychotherapy

no personal experience of it, so can't comment.

QP, I've just seen this. If you want more info, let me know as I had a year of this....

Sorry to be so late!!!!

did you really? How was it? I think im going to have to go private to get it, not sure yet... it doesnt seem to expensive, so it's do-able.

It was bizarre to be honest. A good psychodynamic therapist 'sits back' more than you might expect, or need. They help you to understand your thoughts/actions/behaviours etc but you have to do the work. I used to walk in and say (in my terribly polite way) oh, hello, how are you, isn't the weather nice, the traffic was awful blah blah blah. She would say hello then nothing else. If I didn't say something, she would just sit there silently. I would then say how I found the silence uncomfortable and felt the need to fill it etc. And so we would talk about why I felt that way and we'd go back, and with her guidance, I worked out that my parents put a lot of emphasis on 'keeping a conversation' going, talking to people, being polite etc etc. Hence, if there is silence anywhere, I just gabble on and fill it!! Often spouting complete rubbish (well, that's what DH tells me....)

That's quite an extreme example and I don't want to frighten you off! I found it very hard work, but it did help. What it didn't do was give me any 'tools' to use in the future. I would go for some weeks of thinking it was an utter waste of time, and then other sessions were brilliant.

I think (and I might be wrong) that it works on the basis that if you can understand the past, and spot the repeated behaviours etc, then you have more understanding of the present and are unlikely to repeat the same in the future.

So I did 12 months of psychodynamic, and then 6 months of CBT which DID give me the tools.

I hope this helps. I might have a book somewhere that my therapist gave me which, if you'd like it, I can send you?

I hate just talking. At couselling a few years ago, she just sat in silence for ages! I like things to be picked out of me... then I guess im like a burst tap! I had CBT (or what I thought was CBT) but found it awful, but I think that was the man I had. Ill take anything they offer me this time, I dont think I was being totally honest last time. I find it hard to speak bad against anyone, so, alot of bad bits in my past and brushed over. Are you 100% sure you don't need it anymore? (the book I mean)
xXx

I know what you mean about things being picked out of you. The therapist should be able to get you talking though! But as you say, it is highly dependent upon how you have as a therapist. When I was in hospital, there was one who just made my skin crawl so I never went to her sessions! If you are doing it privately you should be able to change if you are unhappy with the person. Although, they all do ask you to tell them that before you change (which is the embarrassing bit!).

I don't need the book at the mo QP. It helped me enormously and I think I'm now past the analysis stage. I'm just at the 'oh b*gger, I might always have depression and I just have to live with it" stage! Actually, it's not too bad. I know my triggers (grumpy DH, doing too much, seeing one of my sisters etc etc) and I try and avoid them

If you want to email me at amandaperry2 at hotmail dot com then I'll send the book to you. We're not that far either - I'm near Guildford, so perhaps we could meet up one day if you'd like?

are you really? I went to college there (Merrist Wood) I know some of my triggers... grumpy DH aswell Ill email you now, but, if you need the book back at anytime, just say so Ill photocopy the good bits. It's very kind of you [fmsile] {{hugs}}

my festive smile is going very wrong today

Psychodynamic therapy is basically Freudian, looking at your earliest relationships and how they would affect you in the present, and would therefore be looking at how they affect your reaction to trauma, while also looking at the immediate effects of trauma. It's a shame that Paranoidandroid had such a dud, because although the client's autonomy is one of the basic principles, I can't see how sitting in total silence could work.
Are you in London? The Westminster Pastoral Foundation has very good psychodynamic counsellors and therapists, and operate a sliding scale of fees.
Alternatively contact the BACP.
Will come back with links if I can later, got to dash atm. HTH

Thankyou... Im in berkshire, but, Ill travel. London isn't far... only 20 mins really.

Hi QP - I'm back! I know Merrist Wood well - lots of competing etc there. What did you do there?

I'll get up in the loft today and dig out that book, I promise.....

How did yesterday go? If you've already posted on another thread, let me know and i'll go looking for it.

Hope you are okay today.

Ax

I did Equine studies. Until I fell off that is halfway through, and had to stop riding for a while. Yesterday went OK - she agreed basically with the A & E liason guy, but said pyschotherapy? I dont know whether she was just calling it that, or it's different from psychodynamic psychotherapy? Either way, it's a big step forward. HUGE wait though, but, I don't think I want to part with £1000 + like the CBT cost me!