Dear Readers,
In looking over my stats today, I noticed several search terms that require special attention because they may not appear in the index on my blog site. I'll do my best to address the following issues: 1. Horses for battered women; 2. Don't like leaving the house; 3. How can I afford therapy? So here goes . . .
1. Horses for battered women--
Believe it or not, there are programs scattered across our country that use equine therapy in the process of helping adults and children recover from trauma. Equine therapy is an accepted method for healing all sorts of issues, especially if it combined with conventional therapy such as Ego State Therapy and EMDR. Here, in fact, is a link to a ranch near Chehalis, Washington, that provides equine therapy for people of all ages: http://humanequinealliance.org/ There are many more such programs all over the nation. If you are interested in this type of therapy, you might want to contact these people to get help finding a program near you.
2. Don't like leaving the house--
I can only assume that the person who wrote this wants to know how to deal with his or her reluctance or fear of leaving the house or apartment and going out into the world. Well, I've had my own problem with this issue, so I can share my experience. I hope it helps!
Four years ago, every time I left my apartment, my PTSD symptoms (flashbacks, numbing, derealization, leaving my body, etc.) were triggered just by being around other people. If somebody talked loudly on a cell phone in a store or on the bus, I dissociated, left my body--especially if the person sounded angry! I got to the point where I didn't want to go out because the symptoms were scary and unpleasant, to say the least. Finally, in desperation, I sought help from a therapist. I know now that this person was not capable of helping me because she did not have the training to identify C-PTSD, diagnose me as having it, and then help me competently. After a really bad and debilitating EMDR treatment by her, I called a prominent psychiatrist in my city, Portland, Oregon, and got a referral to a competent therapist. Now, over three years later, my symptoms have quieted to the point where they don't bother me when I go out, and I can ride the bus when somebody is arguing loudly with the driver and say to myself--not out loud!--"A--hole! Shut up and sit down so the driver can drive!" I'd say my present responses are pretty appropriate to the situation and normal.
I am no longer a prisoner in my apartment because my C-PTSD symptoms are under control--without medication! I've done the work in therapy that I needed to do to bring this new peace of mind about. And that's what it takes--if your mind is in chaos because you have C-PTSD, and if your symptoms are messing with your life, then you can change all that. To bring about this change, you have to put forth the effort to make the change happen. After about a year, I was able to leave my apartment and be in a crowd of people without having any bad reaction. But during that year, I worked my butt off in therapy to arrive at this point. If you want to change any aspect of your life, you have to put forth the effort to do it. You are the only person who CAN do it! A therapist can help you do it, but ultimately, the job is up to you. So what can you do to take care of this problem? Find a competent therapist, one who understands how to help people with C-PTSD, and establish a therapeutic relationship with the person--if you are comfortable with him or her. If you don't feel comfortable with this first therapist, hunt for a competent therapist with whom you feel comfortable and begin your therapy journey. If you choose to go the pharmaceutical route, that's an option, but remember that if you go this way, the symptoms may come right back if you discontinue the medication. Doing the work in therapy is a long, hard road to healing, but it's a permanent fix for many people. Medication is a quick fix, but if you have to discontinue the medication due to side effects, you may find yourself right back where you began. Doing the work required for a permanent fix may take a lot of time, patience, energy, and money, but I believe the outcome is worth it. Check the list of topics on this blog for other information regarding therapy.
3. How can I afford therapy?
Check the list of topics on this blog for information on this topic. If you have good private insurance, your insurance will pay a certain amount for your therapy. If you are on Medicare, Medicare now pays 65% of your therapy bill. If you have a Medicare supplement, that will cover at least some of what Medicare does not cover. If you are on Medicaid, check to see if you can get help through a public clinic or through a qualified provider who does pro bono work.
Special cases: If you are a victim of a crime--sexual abuse, rape, battering, etc.--see if there is money in a victims' fund that will cover your therapy. Note: Only if the person who hurt you has been tried and actually convicted can a person usually have access to funds in a victims' fund. This means that the victim must have pressed charges against the perpetrator and the perpetrator was convicted. If the victim was raped and did not press charges, for example, she may not qualify for help from a victims' fund.
Check with the director of a battered women's shelter if you are a victim of domestic violence. This person can help you through the process of getting help and paying for therapy. It's easiest if you have pressed charges against the perpetrator and the perp has been convicted, but it may be possible to get help in other cases if you are in no way connected any longer to the perpetrator. Remember: domestic violence is a fatal disease if it is not stopped. Get help and get out of the situation!
I hope the information in this post helps! Life is short--live as much as possible of your life outside the cage called C-PTSD.
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