Hi Emi thank you so much for sharing how to deal with this. I have suffered for years and honestly can’t remember the last time I slept all night. I had a very violent childhood so I quit school early and joined the army, was sent to Vietnam and experienced extreme violence. I’ve been to a therapist finally in the last year but not getting much relief. I know you’re busy with work and new family but I would really appreciate it if you could tell me how long did it take for you to start feeling better? and do you think it would help me? The VA is a joke! and takes forever to get in.
You have written a very important and concise piece on this subject. I have PTSD and this summer finished my second round of the 12-week intensive Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) that was developed as part of the VA program. (Basically like the CBT you mention.) It has been a life-changer. I did my first round last summer to deal with the sexual assaults from my childhood and growing up years, but needed the second round this past summer to deal with the more recent trauma(s) related to work. I can attest to what you write here. PTSD symptoms can be managed, and sometimes it takes more than one round of this type of therapy to really help it stick. And it's OK. It takes what it takes, but it works. It's also important to note that during the therapy it can get worse before it gets better, but stick with it, because it will get better as you continue.
I'm in Canada, so it is much easier to find therapists and specialists that do this kind of work, so I was very lucky. It is expensive though. I went into debt to do it, but I felt I had no choice.
As an aside, I read your book Acceptance last summer and I have a post where I'm referencing it coming up this fall.
I often told people I work in tech, but it's a bit more complicated than that. I have worked in and with many companies in various industries. For about 15 years or so, I have done a lot of work in the healthcare/insurance industries, and one of the things I enjoy doing is to find out about how things work, and when I was working in healthcare/insurance, it's about how that works. So, I learn quite a bit about them.
One of the things I have to say is, as Emi pointed out, not all doctors are the same. Some do over estimate their skills and experiences, and some will like to tell you what they think you have instead of listening to what you have to say. At the end of the day, it's for you to decide if the doctor is the right fit or not, and if it's not, don't waste your time continue to go to them, find someone else. Also, another key importance point is that, cheap healthcare doesn't mean quality care. Neither does expensive healthcare. Good quality care is someone who listen to what you have to say, work with you to help you get better. Easily said than done, because listening is a skill not everyone learned (but it is part of a doctor's bedside manner). There's a reason why there are a lot of misdiagnosis and law suites - because physicians don't listen and went down the wrong rabbit hole. At the same time, you need to realize they are not a good fit and start looking for another one. I remembered one time, my wife told me about this new doctor she's seeing and the doctor basically said she has this disease because the doctor's lens is through the spectrum of this disease and therefore, everyone probably got it. After seeing the doctor a few times and still not understanding what's going on or why, I told her it's time to stop and go find someone that can work with you.
I found this piece late but better than never. I’d thought I was the only one who had multiple bad therapist experiences for PTSD. Thanks for sharing your story. It matters!
Your piece made me realize I've spent the last 10 years in therapy not recovering from my PTSD and had found my way into another similar situation because I was not armed with the skills in therapy to see my blindspots. Good for you tackling this so directly and for sharing your story with all of us. Your vulnerability is so admirable!!
Emi,
Your advocacy, craft and massive talent will save countless lives.
Barbara
Hi Emi thank you so much for sharing how to deal with this. I have suffered for years and honestly can’t remember the last time I slept all night. I had a very violent childhood so I quit school early and joined the army, was sent to Vietnam and experienced extreme violence. I’ve been to a therapist finally in the last year but not getting much relief. I know you’re busy with work and new family but I would really appreciate it if you could tell me how long did it take for you to start feeling better? and do you think it would help me? The VA is a joke! and takes forever to get in.
Hello Emi.
You have written a very important and concise piece on this subject. I have PTSD and this summer finished my second round of the 12-week intensive Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) that was developed as part of the VA program. (Basically like the CBT you mention.) It has been a life-changer. I did my first round last summer to deal with the sexual assaults from my childhood and growing up years, but needed the second round this past summer to deal with the more recent trauma(s) related to work. I can attest to what you write here. PTSD symptoms can be managed, and sometimes it takes more than one round of this type of therapy to really help it stick. And it's OK. It takes what it takes, but it works. It's also important to note that during the therapy it can get worse before it gets better, but stick with it, because it will get better as you continue.
I'm in Canada, so it is much easier to find therapists and specialists that do this kind of work, so I was very lucky. It is expensive though. I went into debt to do it, but I felt I had no choice.
As an aside, I read your book Acceptance last summer and I have a post where I'm referencing it coming up this fall.
I often told people I work in tech, but it's a bit more complicated than that. I have worked in and with many companies in various industries. For about 15 years or so, I have done a lot of work in the healthcare/insurance industries, and one of the things I enjoy doing is to find out about how things work, and when I was working in healthcare/insurance, it's about how that works. So, I learn quite a bit about them.
One of the things I have to say is, as Emi pointed out, not all doctors are the same. Some do over estimate their skills and experiences, and some will like to tell you what they think you have instead of listening to what you have to say. At the end of the day, it's for you to decide if the doctor is the right fit or not, and if it's not, don't waste your time continue to go to them, find someone else. Also, another key importance point is that, cheap healthcare doesn't mean quality care. Neither does expensive healthcare. Good quality care is someone who listen to what you have to say, work with you to help you get better. Easily said than done, because listening is a skill not everyone learned (but it is part of a doctor's bedside manner). There's a reason why there are a lot of misdiagnosis and law suites - because physicians don't listen and went down the wrong rabbit hole. At the same time, you need to realize they are not a good fit and start looking for another one. I remembered one time, my wife told me about this new doctor she's seeing and the doctor basically said she has this disease because the doctor's lens is through the spectrum of this disease and therefore, everyone probably got it. After seeing the doctor a few times and still not understanding what's going on or why, I told her it's time to stop and go find someone that can work with you.
I found this piece late but better than never. I’d thought I was the only one who had multiple bad therapist experiences for PTSD. Thanks for sharing your story. It matters!
Your piece made me realize I've spent the last 10 years in therapy not recovering from my PTSD and had found my way into another similar situation because I was not armed with the skills in therapy to see my blindspots. Good for you tackling this so directly and for sharing your story with all of us. Your vulnerability is so admirable!!