Nancy's Journal

[nancys]

Hi,
Would you guys know if it is a good idea to emotional freedom technique or emdr or trauma therapy when i am so severely suicidal and nonfunctional. Will this help me along through my problems or just make them way too intolerable to manage. someone offered to do these for me. one is a therapist doing emdr. another is a lady who says she used to be energy healer and knows eft and some emdr.

[stan]

i think in our state not, it can worsen suffering; it will be good when you feel quite well in future; the best i think is to rest very much and make mild mild exercise, so the brain will heal without physical or psychological stress(it is my experience for me)
some are strong enough and these can do it, it depends of your strongness

[Junior]

The thing to remember Nancy, is that these therapies don't take w/d into account. They may be able to help but you might also find that your nervous system is too sensitive and reacts badly rather than well. Just a thought.

[Sheila]

That’s a good start on the "sleep hygiene." Hearos Extreme are the best earplugs I’ve found. Definitely try out the CDs and see if there are any you like. Maybe the social worker or someone could help you get some bedding and launder big items? Being too hot will interfere with your sleep. Do you need a fan? Or do you have A/C?

EFT and EMDR are pretty gentle techniques. Not sure what you’re meaning by “trauma therapy.”

But Stan and Junior bring up the important point that psych med w/d is different from regular psychological trauma, and you have to proceed delicately.

I would *not* try to work on your most severe childhood trauma now. But you could conceivably try picking something you’re dealing with right now that is only moderately upsetting – like one small-ish thing that is stressful in your current living situation. Let the people who have offered you the EFT and EMDR try out helping you with that mild issue, and see how it goes.

Tell them that they have never encountered anything like psych med w/d before, and a good rule of thumb is that they should do methods with you at 25% the intensity of what they would normally do. Be *very* assertive with them – you know more about w/d than they do.

Also, maybe inquire into the kind of energy healing that lady does and let us know. That might be a possibility too.

[nancys]

yes it is the deep childhood stuff that I was wondering if i should be working on in emdr. it is at the surface but i am not sure if should be digging at it when feeling as bad as i do. My guess is no and it sounds like you guys agree. the trauma has been at surface for a long time just never had therapists doing right stuff to bring dig at it. i had some emdr with new psychologist in the summer and felt first relief in 28 years of psychotherpy with psychologists. They were ignoring what i was expressing to them, my deep stuff.
The feelings are right here though. but maybe i should just let them be right where they are and not try to dig at them. Just wanted to make clear that part of them are at surface now.
But now w/d is here and that so i was not sure if working on it would help me get relief or make me more miserable. i am barely staying alive at this point without digging at it.

I am too hot cause using sleeping bag cause cant get self to do laundry. But maybe will have to or maybe social worker can help.

She just said she was an energy healer in the past and then just taught me eft. i will see what else she does.

I am so miserable. Unfortunately i had just found a psychologist i thought was excellent and was providing me what i had needed for years and had many many skills and i made profound growth. Could not see her very long before my insurance ran out.
Thanks for all your help. it is desperately needed.

I am worried about taking the celexa because i took a drug years ago for 3 weeks that made my brain hurt and i think that was it but i am not sure. My main brain injury symptom is headache. so on the one hand i have hope that the antidepressant will kick in and provide me some relief that i desperately need but then i have fear it is going to cause headache and just have to get off and try another. i need relief from the suicidality. i did not think of this when i was at the doctor. plus i am not sure. celexa was invented in 1998. i have been on effexor for very long. but it could have been 15 years ago that i tried celexa. Anyway i guess i am just going to do it. already took yesterday and today.

[Junior]

Hi. I don't have anything to offer. Just wanted to wish you all the best with the Celexa. I hope it doesn't bring on the headaches and that you CAN find the relief you are looking for.

[Luc]

We are thinking about you, Nancy. As for psychotherapy, I think you could simply go by the instinct and choose what would be best for you. It looks like though, the deep "digging" at the past traumas as you mention in your post, especially now in severe WD, would better be avoided. Hang in there!

[nancys]

Thanks.

I think it was serzone i was on. Hopefully.

I am starting to think I should take the 20 mg instead of 10mg. Only because i am so suicidal and nonfunctional. Not sure what brain injury and having gone broke are doing to my depression. Just worry about how much is withdrawal. Anyway. not sure. just so fearful that wont feel much better on 10mg. I am just so miserable. Or maybe i need to learn ways to deal with the misery. Anyway it is brutal and it has been real bad since last june in different ways at different times. But the suicidality now is real bad and has been for weeks or many weeks. Totally off meds 9 weeks. based on past experience i believe i will feel a little better from anti depressant by next saturday(1 week) and more by next week etc. But it could also make me feel worse, prozac made me suicidal and life very dark, remeron made all my brain injury symptoms way worse, klonipin made me want to kill self and brain injury symptoms worse. Whatever. I just need relief from suicidality.

[Luc]

Nancy, 10 mg is really worth considering. If you don't feel improvement with this dose, you could always up it to 20 mg. Let us wait what others think.

[Junior]

I'd start with 10mg and see how your body tolerates it before considering going up to 20mg. These drugs just don't work the same way when we are in w/d or have chopped and changed a few times. At least not at first.