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    Founder Sheila's Avatar
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    Psychotherapy

    There are many, many forms of psychotherapy. And, within each type of psychotherapy, there are great differences among practitioners in their personalities and skills. The most important thing is to find someone who is a good match for you.

    Look into the different forms of psychotherapy and shop around among practitioners. Ideally, you will find someone who your gut tells you is good for you. But, sometimes, for a limited period of time, with a pressing need, it may be necessary to settle for someone who you feel can help you somewhat, even if they have flaws.

    It’s difficult to find someone who knows about w/d. Try to find someone who is either open to being educated about w/d or who has experience working with chronic illness.

    It’s harder to tolerate the process of shopping for a practitioner when you’re in severe w/d, but it can be done. Or, you can wait until you feel better, and then it will be easier.

    Don’t let anyone tell you your w/d symptoms are *only* psychological issues, but do be open to the possibility that your psychological issues (and we all have them) are interweaving with the neurological symptoms of w/d.

    Meds free since June 2005.

    "An initiation into shamanic healing means a devaluation of all values, an overturning of the profane world, a peeling away of inveterate handed-down notions of the world, liberation from everything preconceived. For that reason, shamanism is closely connected with suffering. One must suffer the disintegration of one's own system of thought in order to perceive a new world in the higher space."
    -- Holger Kalweit

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    Founder Sheila's Avatar
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    Meds free since June 2005.

    "An initiation into shamanic healing means a devaluation of all values, an overturning of the profane world, a peeling away of inveterate handed-down notions of the world, liberation from everything preconceived. For that reason, shamanism is closely connected with suffering. One must suffer the disintegration of one's own system of thought in order to perceive a new world in the higher space."
    -- Holger Kalweit

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    Founder Luc's Avatar
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    More about the Open Dialogue (short trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBjIvnRFja4
    Keep walking. Just keep walking.

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    Senior Member Junior's Avatar
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    If nothing else, a good therapist will help you to develop coping skills that will help you to get through w/d.
    Aropax (Paxil). Currently at 13mg and holding.
    Added Endep (amitrypline) 12.5 for sleep - 11 July 2013


    "There are things that are known and things that are unknown; in between are doors." - Anonymous

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    Senior Member Mike's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Junior View Post
    If nothing else, a good therapist will help you to develop coping skills that will help you to get through w/d.
    Sounds good but it's very hard to sit across the room from someone who doesn't believe you, is on meds themselves, or is highly invested in medication professionlly. Also, many therapies or coping strategies need to be adapted for someone in severe withdrawal. How do you do that if you have no understanding of what withdrawal is, virtually no experience, and often no true willingness to learn. Even for those that express a willingness in my experience it's not really there. And even for the truly wiling what we are going through is so abstract, invisible, that it makes understanding/communication very difficult. I believe in psychotherapy. I am not saying it's impossible but you'd have to kiss a lot of frogs. It's tough to shop around for months when you experiencing confusion or severe muscle discomfort or find showering, riding in a car, or exposure to fluorescent lights difficult. Not to mention the expense.
    Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anaïs Nin

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    Senior Member Chris's Avatar
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    Sheila,
    Thanks for link. I do know that Zoloft totally messed up my digestion. Before I took it and after, my response to food was totally different--after taking SSRI, I couldn't tolerate lots of foods. By the way, it was an Ayurvedic dr. __Dr. Virender Sodhi who helped me with my GI problems and food allergies. (he is an awesome doctor)The herbs trifal and pippli made it possible for me to digest many healthy foods like vegetables even in spite of the interference of Zoloft. (it does seem to be important to get really high quality herbs). And, as you suggested, I do have hopes that once off the SSRI, GI problems are bound to improve.

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    I totally agree mike. I went to see a therapist the year before last , she was very young and did not have a clue so she had to speak to her boss and get back to me. Basically he said I was very brave getting this far but there was nothing they could do to help me.

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    Senior Member Chris's Avatar
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    Mike--I whole heartedly agree. It is more than frustrating to see that skeptical response sitting across the room. Since the SSRI and the w/d experience became such a big part of my experience, when they have that automatic skepticism, they are denying my experience in such a fundamental way that there really is no getting past that. Whatever deep assumptions they hold that cause them to dismiss out of hand my experience with SSRI w/d --(they effectively must deny my existence in order to hold fast to their world view.)What I have come to realize is the assumptions they hold that lead them to deny the w/d experience are so profound that their lives would be turned inside out if they were to be questioned.
    On the other hand, there are those in a different category who do believe you but they still don't understand.
    I was talking to a therapist recently who was very sympathetic and willing to help, but I realized that she was assuming that the w/d emotions I was talking about were exactly the same as any other difficult feelings, and this is simply not the case--like you said--she just had no context to understand what I was talking about.

  9. #9
    Senior Member Junior's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike View Post
    Sounds good but it's very hard to sit across the room from someone who doesn't believe you, is on meds themselves, or is highly invested in medication professionlly. Also, many therapies or coping strategies need to be adapted for someone in severe withdrawal. How do you do that if you have no understanding of what withdrawal is, virtually no experience, and often no true willingness to learn. Even for those that express a willingness in my experience it's not really there. And even for the truly wiling what we are going through is so abstract, invisible, that it makes understanding/communication very difficult. I believe in psychotherapy. I am not saying it's impossible but you'd have to kiss a lot of frogs. It's tough to shop around for months when you experiencing confusion or severe muscle discomfort or find showering, riding in a car, or exposure to fluorescent lights difficult. Not to mention the expense.
    I understand. I'm Australian and our health system is completely different. It must be really difficult having to 'shop around' when you are really struggling with w/d.

    I also understand the frustrations about not being believed. I haven't needed therapy. I had it years ago for another, unrelated reason, and still have the skills and personality changes that occurred back then. But as someone who has since studied to Honours level in psychology, I wonder about the ethics of some of these therapists. They are not supposed to judge, or impose their beliefs and values on their clients. Above all, they are supposed to be 'client centred', meaning that they walk alongside the client, be there in their world, and help them to make sense of it. Well,that is the dominant 'talk therapy' anyhow.

    Mike, I'm not discounting your experiences or that of anyone else. I'm just saying how it SHOULD be. I do agree, however, that there is no training for this sort of thing and that psychotherapists are just as in the dark on how to help as anyone else.
    Aropax (Paxil). Currently at 13mg and holding.
    Added Endep (amitrypline) 12.5 for sleep - 11 July 2013


    "There are things that are known and things that are unknown; in between are doors." - Anonymous

  10. #10
    Founder stan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike View Post
    Sounds good but it's very hard to sit across the room from someone who doesn't believe you, is on meds themselves, or is highly invested in medication professionlly. Also, many therapies or coping strategies need to be adapted for someone in severe withdrawal. How do you do that if you have no understanding of what withdrawal is, virtually no experience, and often no true willingness to learn. Even for those that express a willingness in my experience it's not really there. And even for the truly wiling what we are going through is so abstract, invisible, that it makes understanding/communication very difficult. I believe in psychotherapy. I am not saying it's impossible but you'd have to kiss a lot of frogs. It's tough to shop around for months when you experiencing confusion or severe muscle discomfort or find showering, riding in a car, or exposure to fluorescent lights difficult. Not to mention the expense.
    I agree all this, i could not say better with my frenglish
    12 years paxil(9 years only 10 mg) - cold turkey(1,5 month) and switch celexa tapered 1 year 20 mg
    62 years old - for GAD - 4 years 3 months meds free [since april 2009]

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