Wednesday, June 24, 2015
"Mine is a profession rife with premature endings and difficult goodbyes." - Steven Kuchuck
Tomorrow is the two year anniversary of when I began to intensively work with my current therapist. In other words, tomorrow is the two year anniversary I received an unexpected diagnosis of PTSD. Before June, 2013 I had never completed two consecutive years of therapy which would prove as valuable and powerful as the last two years have.
I feel relieved to have reached the point I now find myself at. The one year anniversary of my diagnosis last June was not exactly an easy time. I felt proud of all the work I had done in the twelve prior months but knew I could still benefit from additional psychotherapy. Now, a year later still, the anniversary of that difficult time feels much less ponderous. I will find some way to mark it tomorrow but I don't expect to feel a weighty quality throughout the day as I did last year.
Consistency and diligence are important qualities in any successful endeavor. And this includes the art of going to psychotherapy. I found an opinion piece in the New York Times yesterday that deeply moved me. I could really identify with the once little boy who was described in the column. Just as I once did the boy who was profiled had experienced a significant amount of trauma. It took the boy some time to become comfortable with his therapist (who was the writer of the column). This was no surprise considering what he had endured during the earliest years of his life.
Predictability is all too often a foreign concept to those who have been deeply traumatized. I submitted a comment in response to the column in which I alluded to my own experience. When the reality of your daily life feels a bit like a constantly spinning revolving door it can be difficult to extend yourself to others in the pursuit of quality relationships. Once so many premature departures accrue in a young life it seems to me virtually natural that a child will become guarded.
I invite you to read the column I have referenced. Consider these questions:
What are the consistent ways that you nurture yourself on a regular basis?
What people can you rely on day in and day out?
What do you believe makes for a strong and rewarding relationship?
What do you do to promote the resilience of your own health?
"Mine is a profession rife with premature endings and difficult goodbyes." - Steven Kuchuck
Tomorrow is the two year anniversary of when I began to intensively work with my current therapist. In other words, tomorrow is the two year anniversary I received an unexpected diagnosis of PTSD. Before June, 2013 I had never completed two consecutive years of therapy which would prove as valuable and powerful as the last two years have.
I feel relieved to have reached the point I now find myself at. The one year anniversary of my diagnosis last June was not exactly an easy time. I felt proud of all the work I had done in the twelve prior months but knew I could still benefit from additional psychotherapy. Now, a year later still, the anniversary of that difficult time feels much less ponderous. I will find some way to mark it tomorrow but I don't expect to feel a weighty quality throughout the day as I did last year.
Consistency and diligence are important qualities in any successful endeavor. And this includes the art of going to psychotherapy. I found an opinion piece in the New York Times yesterday that deeply moved me. I could really identify with the once little boy who was described in the column. Just as I once did the boy who was profiled had experienced a significant amount of trauma. It took the boy some time to become comfortable with his therapist (who was the writer of the column). This was no surprise considering what he had endured during the earliest years of his life.
Predictability is all too often a foreign concept to those who have been deeply traumatized. I submitted a comment in response to the column in which I alluded to my own experience. When the reality of your daily life feels a bit like a constantly spinning revolving door it can be difficult to extend yourself to others in the pursuit of quality relationships. Once so many premature departures accrue in a young life it seems to me virtually natural that a child will become guarded.
I invite you to read the column I have referenced. Consider these questions:
What are the consistent ways that you nurture yourself on a regular basis?
What people can you rely on day in and day out?
What do you believe makes for a strong and rewarding relationship?
What do you do to promote the resilience of your own health?
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I invite you to accompany me as I document my own journey of healing. My blog is designed to offer inspiration and solace to others. If you find it of value I welcome you to share it with others. Aloha!