Suicide is a difficult topic. All too many trauma survivors feel drawn to it. Mental health professionals fight against it. Insurance companies dismiss it. Religions disagree about it. The world out there doesn’t know how to interpret it. The world does not know how to talk about it. It’s controversial and complex. There are no simple answers. Who’s to blame for it? The … [Read more...]
Addressing Depression in Trauma Disorders
It is no secret that trauma survivors get depressed, and depression is the most commonly known and experienced mental health disorder. Typical depression symptoms include: Suicidal thoughts, recurring death thoughts, death wishes Suicidal behavior and suicide attempts Self destructive behavior, self injury, self harm Feelings of worthlessness, guilt, self hatred, or not deserving to live Loss … [Read more...]
DID Trauma Survivors and Getting Support from Other People – or not?
Dissociative trauma survivors need emotional support. However, this can be difficult to achieve. As the show, "United States of Tara" is gradually starting to demonstrate, survivors with Dissociative Identity Disorder have friends and family members that offer varying levels of support: Those that find dissociative trauma survivors to be really good, kind, decent, and wonderful people, and will stand by them … [Read more...]
Overcoming Instability Issues and Unsuccessful Memory Work
Kerro commented: I have a question about stability. I accept that I need to be reliable, motivated, responsible and willing to delve into things I generally don't want to delve into. As for stability - I can see how a stable client is easier to work with for a therapist. However, what if the beginning stages of therapy have resurfaced old issues or retraumatised the client to the extent that … [Read more...]
10 Qualities a Therapist Recognizes in a Good Client, part 1
Most clients quickly think of the many qualities they want in their therapists. However, are those clients also thinking about whether or not they are presenting themselves as the type of client someone would want to work with? As an experienced psychotherapist, I am proposing that there are many criteria for clients to consider about themselves as well as about their prospective therapists. Many of the … [Read more...]