A book to advise on recovery *TRIGGER WARNING*

[TheDenIsNigh]

Can anyone recommend books that are useful in helping someone recovering from being raped?
The incident happened 2 years ago.
The NHS won't offer counselling or a psychologists appointment, despite a PTSD diagnosis.

So I'm on my own.

I've tried and I'm trying yoga, meditation, regular exercise and other similar things.

Nothing is having much effect tbh.

Can anyone recommend a book or books that might help?

TIA

I’m not sure where she’s got the impression I ever suggested she’d be in therapy for three years so I can’t understand why she keeps repeating it everard?

I’ve re-read my posts and it’s clear to me that I never made that suggestion but that’s what keeps being repeated back to me.

I'm looking at private therapy eith an organisation that deals with child abuse in its various forms. Im anxious about the cost as although its sliding scale even 20 at quid a week would be 1000 (its a year they recommend.) And we have money difficulties.

Ive had the body keeps score recommended. But if its yet another book that says why my body/life is fucked Ill just be depressed. I was after looking at my ACES score. Yes I can see why I'm struggling in my 40s, but I want to actualky recover.

And yes yes to looking too professional for help but cracking up inside. Years of dysfunctional life. Yet cant afford private therapy.

Read "Childhood Disrupted" by Donna Jackson Nazakawa, Just.

I’m being treated for complex PTSD, had a recent two month inpatient stay. On discharge I had follow up with the Acute Mental Health Team. Once they learnt I was going to continue to see the psychologist privately I was dumped with no crisis follow up except for the advice to pop to ED if I felt suicidal again.
The psychologist I’m seeing has told me to expect a year with her.
I’m sorry you’re going through this it’s a hideous journey

I’ve also been in private therapy for about 18 months, it’s a long old journey. Childhood trauma, plus multiple traumas as a teenager. Take a look on you tube lots of lectures ect on trauma, learning about the neurobiology behind my symptoms has been helpful

OP, I'm going to say this in the kindest possible way. People are sharing their experiences in an attempt to help you - not to condemn you to years of therapy.

Sexual assault is (sadly) hugely common. The NHS provision for mental health is very poor. Your situation (again, very sadly) is in no way unique or unusual.

Posters who have referred to "complex" PTSD are talking about the PTSD that comes from repeated exposure to trauma - often in childhood.

People who have grown up in an abusive environment often need years of therapy to work through what has happened to them - especially if their childhood development went on through those years of trauma.

Nobody has suggested that you require three years of therapy - rather they are sharing their positive experience of therapy with a view to giving you hope that you can recover.

Writing snarky strike throughs about the cost of three years of therapy to someone who has shared their recovery from having a PTSD diagnosis to not is really rather unkind.

If you are interested in learning more about how trauma services slip through the cracks of the NHS it's worth looking at PODS:

information.pods-online.org.uk/what-can-i-do-if-i-cant-get-therapy/

To make it clear, this is a resource site for people who have survived complex trauma and developed a very complex mental health condition as a result - far more complex than a standard PTSD diagnosis.

As the site owner explains, people slip through the cracks and often have to rely on private therapy. And very often it works for them.

By linking to this site I am not suggesting your dissociative, or that you experienced childhood trauma. I am trying to explain to you that your poor experience of the NHS is by no means unique and that people have recovered very well from very significant trauma without having to go down a medical route.

I can't speak for goldagainsthesoldier but from her posts I believe she was trying to give you hope that you won't be stuck with this medical diagnosis forever, and that with the right help - that needn't be costly - there is hope for you.

I hope things begin to look up for you.

Pods are an excellent organisation, lots of helpful articles for those who have had complex childhood trauma . Private therapy maybe expensive but I see it as essential, enables me to function.

Is there any NHS help available to you Just? I'm guessing not otherwise you wouldn't be looking for private treatment you can ill afford.

I know what you mean when you talk about it being another book about why your body/life is fucked.
For me and I am only talking about me here it would help to have some sense of what is 'normal' to feel in my situation.
Again though, what's right for me won't necessarily be right for you. A positive book saying 'yes this happened and it feels shit and you might be feeling like x, y or z but that's ok too. Let's put that aside, here are some ways you could feel better and this is how/why they work' would be very useful.

I haven't read Childhood Interrupted but if it's helped Steve then it could be helpful for you. Maybe Amazon do one of their look inside the book sample thingys for it.

'Pop into ED if you feel suicidal' is just awful Grump I'm sorry, that's horrible. Though I really do hope that if you do feel that bad that you do manage to get to ED for the support you need.

Even though mine wasn't a childhood trauma Naps I'll take a look at YouTube myself, thank you.

I'm sorry to all of you who've had similar experiences, I wouldn't wish any of this on anyone.

One thing that does strike me as I read through the posts is this; a special kind of outrage is quite reasonably levelled at the attacker when people are sexually assaulted, but there seems to be little if any outrage at the lack of support for people who have experienced assault or abuse.

If you'd asked me before all of this happened to me I would have said that anyone who lived through any experience like this should be able to access good quality NHS care and support for as long as they need it and in whatever form they need.

Since my own experience I feel this even more now.

Peter Levine books contain some useful strategies, so I'm told. The one I hear most about is Walking the Tiger. Again he is complex PTSD focused but the main principles apply across the board.

Waking the Tiger, sorry.

Great post at 16:01 @meeewandtheoldguitar

I missed this yesterday, @EverardDigby , but your point about music helping is something I've personally found to help too.

It was mentioned to me in my two sessions that the vast majority of people displaying complex PTSD have suffered repeat abuse during their formative childhood development.

My mother attempted suicide multiple times, in her bedroom. This is over 25 years ago. I'd walked in and found lots of empty pill bottles. To date, I cannot enter that room. Even thinking about it causes my pulse rate to soar. My parents, and brother, were absolute stars at psychological abuse. The childhood rape by contrast is far easier to deal with.

I'm so sorry for your experiences @Goldagainstthesoldier , just so unfair.

Sorry that I missed your question earlier, the book that I mentioned is by Babette Rothschild. I'd recommend it over the Van der Kolk book for accesibility of you are looking at a single event PTSD.

I don't know why your IAPT service can't help you because single event PTSD is taught on all the IAPT CBT diplomas but obviously you can't go into detail here.
CBT for PTSD will be gone through in the overcoming traumatic stress book that someone else recommended.

An experienced EMDR practitioner should be safe. Not just anyone can do official EMDR training. They have strict entry criteria.
Babette Rothshild is more pragmatic, she does not believe one has to relive the trauma (which standard CBT does include) to manage the PTSD and she has many, many years of experience with it.
Another female therapist who has done great work with trauma is Pat Ogden. I think that all therapists with a level 2 training in her method would be experienced with sexual trauma although I couldn't be sure.
www.sensorimotorpsychotherapy.org/home/referral-eu/prUK.html

Book
"The body keeps the score"
by Bessel Van see Kolk
Excellent read on PTSD. The guy has done a lot of research and is well known. Really recommend it.