One more quick question in 1st post: Need suggestions about how to get over this.

[JustMe]

One more quick question: I am in the process of finding a therapist to help me with this..but, if you took the time to read my original post, does anyone think I should confront the main teacher or director about the rumor that people were not telling me things b/c of fear dd would get in trouble at home? I just can't get over not knowing if this was true or not and am not sure if I should just deal with this in therapy or confront. there are pros and cons to both including that I am not sure if they would tell me the truth/if they would even remember as it was so long ago vs. I really want to know if it happened or not so I can know how to feel about them and have closure. Thanks again!


Update, edit, and thanks: Thanks to everyone who read and/or responded to what I originally posted here! It means so much to me and I am blown away by how compassionate, responsive, and knowledgeable you all are once again. I have edited out my original response to cut down on the likelihood that someone who was involved in what happened seein it. I agree that some kind of cognitive therapy would be good, so am going to start to see what my next steps would be. Keep any other feedback and advice coming! Here is part of my original post. I have edited most of the facts/backstory out. It won't make that much sense as a whole, but I think people can still figure out what I am asking for/about. Thanks again!

Part of original post (very much edited):

I am so frustrated with myself that I can't get past this. I posted on the Health and Healing section of MDC as I actually want practical advice, but got only one very brief response.
I tried traditional therapy and it was not helpful. I think this is less about how this relates to my childhood and more about that *this* chain of events was traumatic for me, even though it was not as objectively horrible as what we normally think of trauma. I also had a lot of physiological reactions (related to eating, sleeping other things that are tmi) at the time. Also, everytime I felt like things were going to be okay, something else bad would happen (believe it or not, I am leaving out details here). I am thinking of things like EFT (emotional freedom technique) or other things....I tried bach flowers and find they actually do take the edge off short-term, but no lasting results. I also wonder if I should go confront the main teacher again about the last incident..but am not sure if that would be helpful.

Any ideas or suggestions....and thanks if you even just read this whole thing!

[infomama]

It sounds like you may have some PTSD from this experience with her teacher. It may sound off the deep end but have you tried hypnotism? Perhaps another therapist, one who doesn't try to take you so far back, can help you sort it all out.
Here is some good info from the Mayo Clinic...http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/DS00246

[JustMe]

Hypnotism does not sound off the deep end at all...yes that is the kind of thing I think I need to consider. Please keep the suggestions coming.

[hillview]

Maybe talk to a therapist? I agree with pp hypnotism is worth looking into? I believe behavior therapy is also suggested for PTSD. Might want to google PTSD and see the various treatments:

http://helpguide.org/mental/post_traumatic_stress_disorder_symptoms_treatment. htm
/hillary

[happymom]

I don't have any suggestions for you, but after reading your post I just wanted to offer :hug:. I'm sorry you are going through this. I hope other posters can offer more practical advice!

[wellyes]

:hug: I would talk to a therapist for sure. It sounds to me, from the outside, like your emotional reaction was out of proportion to the actual events.... and that you're very aware of that, but awareness doesn't help. It is irrationality with a strong negative impact on your quality of life. Trust me, BTDT.

I'm NOT a professional so take what I say with an enormous grain of salt, but ... my thought reading your post is that you'd benefit enormously from cognitive therapy. If time / money makes therapy difficult for you, a good first step might be David Burns' Feeling Good, a modern classic in addressing anxiety & depression issues.

[sste]

I second cognitive-behavioral therapy. An excellent, fellowship-trained cognitive-behavioral only therapist - -not someone who just added that to the laundry list so to speak in their insurance listing.

Unfortunately, I have not done this myself yet though I have looked into it so my advice is limited. I talked to an excellent CBT place in my area and they said that they employ a variety of techniques for extreme anxiety/phobia (which it sounds like you have) and one of those is exposure - - basically flooding you with that experience until it loses all power over you. This can typically be done in the office but the top cbt place in my city actually had a fee schedule for sessions if they needed to accompany you to the scene of the anxiety/phobia for an exposure session!

If you find the right person and do what they tell you, cbt will work. It is highly effective, particularly for anxiety and insomnia (I have used it for the latter).

ETA: Exposure in your case does not mean confronting the main teacher years after the fact. I really think that would be perpetuating the disproportionate power this teacher/incident is holding over you. Of course, seek professional advice but I just wanted to be clear about that after re-reading your OP.

[dukie41181]

It surely sounds like you could benefit from trying another therapist. As a therapist myself, I can tell you that the most important factor in the change/helping process is relationship and "goodness of fit." It sounds like the therapist you'd met with before was taking an approach that was not what you were looking for and that is ok, it just means that there may be a benefit to moving on to try something different. Honestly, in my practice I talk with patients about that up front and am very honest about how I practice and what they are looking for because my goal is to help people with their symptoms/concerns and if I am not the right person to help them reach their goals then I want to help them find that person. I would definatey find someone who is a better fit for you.

Having said that, it sounds like there is quite a bit of backstory that is left out of your post and while that is completely fine, it makes it hard to give specific thougths. As far as treatment modality, CBT can be quite powerful and Exposure Therapy, IMO, is an absolute must when it comes to anxiety. The worst thing you can do for anxiety is to avoid it...avoidance brings power to the fear. I have heard good things about hypnosis but it would be very important to know the training background of the clinician. Additionally, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitation and Reprocessing) is very powerful but it requires additional post-graduate training (you could always check with a prospective therapist about their EMDR training however I have never heard of anyone utilizing EMDR without the training as its quite specific and requires a few instruments that are not readily accessible to just anyone). I have had personal experience with EMDR (as have some of my colleagues) and would highly recommend that if we are dealing with trauma issues (PTSD or Acute Stress Disorder). Finally, as far as treatment goes, remember there is always the option of pursuing medication to help with symptoms. I don't necessarily recommend that for everyone but depending on the extent to which your symptoms are interfering with your daily functioning (physical, social, emotional, work life, etc.) it may be something to further explore.

Hope some of this was helpful and I hope you find some relief!

[JustMe]

Update and thanks in op!

Thank you so much for your responses. Each one has been helpful. I welcome anything else anyone has to say!

[JustMe]

Quick question added at top of original post.

[pinkmomagain]

In answer to your quick question, I think you need to move forward from this experience and it's great you are looking for a professional to help you do that. IMHO, I would not speak any further about the incident with the teacher.

[TwinFoxes]

In answer to your quick question, I think you need to move forward from this experience and it's great you are looking for a professional to help you do that. IMHO, I would not speak any further about the incident with the teacher.
:yeahthat: I can't imagine any good would come of bringing it up. I can think of many outcomes that will make you feel worse. I hope therapy helps! Good luck. :hug: