Does anyone know about or have experience of techniques for recovering from trauma?

[Beachcomber]

Hello. I would be really grateful if we could have a discussion about trauma recovery.

In particular I'm interested in types of therapy which do not require the person to share information about the origin of the trauma with the therapist.

I have heard of techniques which can help people who are too traumatized to be able to go through types of therapy which require talking about the traumatic event or events. I'm thinking in the case of PTSD where re-visiting the events which caused the PTSD re-traumatizes the person and is therefore not safe for them.

I wondered if anyone knows about such techniques or has experience of them? Even if you don't know about it, but would be interested in discussing the subject, please post - I know very little about this myself but would really like to explore it.

Thanks.

Nursenic I think you talk a lot of sense. I experienced a terribly traumatic event as a child, when I was 10. I involuntarily repressed the memory and associated emotions for 25 years. Then the memory resurfaced but not the emotions. 5 years later, the emotions came out in the form of a 'nervous breakdown' as labelled by the doctor, but actually I see it as a 'breakthrough'.

I am a perfect example of a person where mental health issues are not the correct diagnosis, and actually I am reacting in a perfectly normal way to a terrifying experience I had as a child.

Nursenic - this is intended to be a support thread for trauma sufferers and a sharing of techniques which may be of help to people with PTSD.

It is not an attack on you or your job.

The best book I've read recently on treating trauma is The Body Remembers by Babette Rothschild.

It's aimed at practitioners rather than trauma survivors but is clear, with lots about the brain/nervous system stuff involved in trauma response and some helpful case studies showing how she works with trauma survivors.

I didn't mean to sound defensive. I apologise if i did.

Re Antonovski...what i take from it is not victim blaming, rather I try to help clients re frame events and their responses to and opinions towards. The sense Of Coherence 'model' can be very useful.

It can actually be used in an anti victim blaming manner when you look at how many women and men experiencing domestic violence will falsely 'ratiionalise' their 'role', blaming their own behaviour or environment for what is done to them.

A person does not have to go into any detail regarding traumatic events in order for a therapist to assess whether CBT is suitable.

For example if a client presented with negative self image, negative self talk and anxiety, all the therapist needs to know is that an 'abusive' relationship lies in the persons past or triggered the problems. We do not need to know the details and that is why CBT is only useful with certain issues.

If trust can be built over time, then that can allow for the safe discussion and treatment of trauma. True PTSD requires specialist treatment and support strategies for when clients are not in the therapy room.

What i find sad is the amount of trauma suffered by clients because of the psych system. Some of it due to poor explanation, some due to uncaring 'professionals' whom I would not allow to care for a rock if i had my way and some is 'historical'-clients who are old enough to have experienced horrid discredited practices.

Jasminerice

Good for you! It is a 'break through' in that your psyche was clearly telling you what you needed to do. Doctors are not equipped to 'do nothing' (as they see listening and being with). They only see 'dysfunction' and cannot take the approach that yours was a perfectly logical reaction.

Odd really when the medical Model itself accepts pain as a perfectly normal response to, and symptom of, physiological illness!

Thanks beachcomber for starting this thread, it's as if you read my mind. :)

Thanks also to everyone else who has been so supportive to me in various of my not exactly cunning guises over the years but especially recently. Will no doubt be back all too soon but deregistering (is that really a word?) for now.

Following on from DeckThe's recommendation, I would recommend also The Body Never Lies by Alice Miller. It's not technical, more about how emotional memories are stored by the body even though the conscious mind may have 'forgotten' the traumatic event (s).

Thanks again to everybody for their contributions.

jasminerice I so agree with what you say about normal reactions to things. What you post about a 'breakthrough' is really interesting. Thank you also for the book, sounds very helpful. Hugs and thanks.

nursenic no need to apologise! Thanks for the information and insight.

Manatee thank you for the book recommendation, it sounds very relevant.

cuibono, stay in touch won't you? Glad if this thread has been relevant x

Big warm woo feminist hugs and good vibes to everybody.

Another recommendation for The Body Remembers here!

And also for EMDR. Not many NHS trusts offer it; can be easier to find privately. (Though check what types of trauma the therapist is experienced in working with.)

As for upsettingness, it varies a lot. The couple of others I know who have had it have also found it amazing.

My experience of it is that it gets right into the non-verbal stuff: imagery, feelings, that lies underneath everything else and it sorts things out from the emotional side first - whereas CBT tries to go from the intellectual side down which is not as effective for some.

If you are the sort of person who is used to living with clear repetitive images of stuff going round your head frequently (I was), EMDR can be a relief almost straight away, compared with just sitting around like that. Insights start to dawn, you will see things differently and it fades to become a far less charged memory. Things finally move rather than just being there all the damn time.

But if you are repressing or hiding from upsetting memories and finding them very hard to think about in detail, you need a lot more preparation work around things like constructing safe places to go to in your head when the EMDR work becomes too hard.

Thank you Freya. That all makes sense and is very helpful.

Another very good book I can recommend is Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herrmann. I thought it was one of the best books I have read on this subject.

I second the recommendation for Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman. It will be in line with your thinking OP wrt the political, environmental and many other issues external to the victim that contribute to the trauma and that need addressing outside of the victim. The larger context seems to be missing from a lot of theories out there. The NICE guidelines recommend Trauma Based CBT (note that it 's different to the standard CBT and DOES involve retelling the story with a view to de sensitise us to the story) and EMDR.

I work in the field of trauma and have myself been through it, and am myself work in progress. Personally, I don't believe that there is a single technique that works for everyone. Its more important that you click with the therapist and feel met and understood.

The technique you mention earlier involving tapping sounds like EFT (emotional freedom technique). can be very powerful, again, it all depends on the relationship with the therapist because it's the relationship that heals.

Native Americans have some powerful techniques that have been used with Vietnam vets so it's worth checking out Shamanic healers but obviously, recommendation is necessary, I am not sure what professional registration is required for their field.

Talking to others who experienced a similar type of trauma can help too.

I wish you find the right healer/ therapist/ whatever works soon.

"..it's the relationship that heals" So, so true. It's the key to healing. I believe that my relationship with DH is what ultimately allowed me to recover and heal from the damage done by the trauma I suffered early on in life.

jasmine, it's great to hear that you have found someone who allowed you to heal from the damage done to you. it's very encouraging to hear that people do recover. Hope in itself is healing.

This is all brilliant stuff everyone. Thank you so so much for sharing. That book sounds perfect. Glad to hear you are doing well jasmine .

Big hugs to everybody who is dealing with stuff - also to any lurkers who are reading but have chosen not to post.

I've had a bit of EMDR and it seemed to work. I didn't have to talk about the trauma at all.
In fact I found it hard to trust the process for exactly that reason, it seemed too woo for me.
There's also OEI, which is an offshoot of EMDR. I've had a couple of sessions of that too and again, weirdly, it seems to work.
This site says:

"Unable to talk or use language

"OEI is also effective where a person cannot even bear or is unable to put into language the thoughts, feelings and sensations they are experiencing when they float back to the traumatic incident(s). With OEI they can merely bring up the memories without speaking and the healing can take place."