An Update of what my WHAT NEXT was in my Journey to Healing.....
The Healer Needed a Healer
And so it Began....
Questions such as:
- Are you married or single?
- Do you have children?
- Do you use drugs or alcohol -and if so how much and how often?
- Have you ever been hospitalized? Do you have any chronic health conditions?
- Etc Etc Etc....
Okay..so far so good. Now onto the "tricky" ones..
- Do you or have you heard things that are not there?
- Do you or have you ever seen things others don't?
- Have you ever heard "voices" in your head?
So after my initial and normal panic modes settle after filling out the said questionnaire I finally get to meet my new therapist. Just walking into her office I immediately chill out. It's calm and serene and I sense she will be OK with my profession. Yes, believe it or not I have SEVERAL people I come across in life that are NOT OK with what I do for a living and seem to take it as if I am personally attacking them and their beliefs. *Shaking My Head*
During my session I not only find out that my new therapist is OK with my profession, but she is intrigued by it. WHEW!
Now what?
- The strong connection between the mind and body and how our emotions and traumas can manifest themselves in our physical body--in ways such as--chronic aches and pains, headaches, stomach aches, etc.
- Different techniques people use to relax both physically and mentally such as: self care, meditation, journaling, and talk therapy
- Different methods used to make the mind more "aware" of the mind body connection and to help learn techniques to self soothe such as: using EMDR therapy which is explained by Wikipedia as "Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy developed by Francine Shapiro that emphasizes disturbing memories as the cause of psychopathology and alleviates the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). EMDR is used for individuals who have experienced severe trauma that remains unresolved. According to Shapiro, when a traumatic or distressing experience occurs, it may overwhelm normal cognitive and neurological coping mechanisms. The memory and associated stimuli are inadequately processed and stored in an isolated memory network. The goal of EMDR therapy is to process these distressing memories, reducing their lingering effects and allowing clients to develop more adaptive coping mechanisms. This is done in an eight-step protocol that includes having clients recall distressing images while receiving one of several types of bilateral sensory input, including side to side eye movements. The use of EMDR was originally developed to treat adults suffering from PTSD; however, it is also used to treat other conditions and children." OR Hypnosis. Definition:By Mayo Clinic Staff Hypnosis, also referred to as hypnotherapy or hypnotic suggestion, is a trance-like state in which you have heightened focus and concentration. Hypnosis is usually done with the help of a therapist using verbal repetition and mental images. When you're under hypnosis, you usually feel calm and relaxed, and are more open to suggestions. Hypnosis can be used to help you gain control over undesired behaviors or to help you cope better with anxiety or pain. It's important to know that although you're more open to suggestion during hypnosis, you don't lose control over your behavior. OR Biofeedback. Definition By Mayo Clinic Staff. Biofeedback is a technique you can use to learn to control your body's functions, such as your heart rate. With biofeedback, you're connected to electrical sensors that help you receive information (feedback) about your body (bio). This feedback helps you focus on making subtle changes in your body, such as relaxing certain muscles, to achieve the results you want, such as reducing pain. In essence, biofeedback gives you the power to use your thoughts to control your body, often to help with a health condition or physical performance. Biofeedback is often used as a relaxation technique.
So what did I end up trying?
Has it helped?
To some degree yes but I basically did several back to back EMDR sessions with VERY little talk therapy/verbal feedback which I believe to be vital when going through such a process. I have had EMDR in the past with fantastic success.
BUT...EMDR is like opening Pandora's Box....it opens your eyes to ALL SORTS of things that acts as triggers in the memory connected to ONE SINGLE event! I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend that if a therapist recommends EMDR therapy or if you ask about having it done that you lay ground rules such as: NOT continuing with another EMDR session until you feel you have addressed all topics, concerns, emotions etc that came up during the previous session (which in all honesty can take a few sessions itself), to have a "check in" period in each session where the therapist ASKS you if you feel like continuing or if you would like to stop and discuss what has come up so far, etc.
Where does that leave me now?
And again...THANK YOU for all your fantastic love and support!
Until Next Time......
~Sarah~ xo