Post Therapy Hangover

[pixiedream99]

Had anyone experience a therapy hangover before? I just had a deep and tough trauma therapy last Tuesday and I had Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Exposure Therapy.

It went well but the aftermath was brutal. I had nightmares and intense dreams after that session and it was difficult for me to fall asleep as my anxiety liked to come back at night.

My therapist was actually helpful but the session was still difficult for me as it brought back many intense emotions to the surface. They said it gets worse before it gets better, but post therapy hangover feels extremely heavy 🥲

So, if any of you guys have a hard time and struggling in your healing journey, know that you're not alone. What matters most is that we tried to heal ourselves and that's enough. THANK YOU FOR BEING STRONG!! WE GOT THISSS!!

[FightingTheDark]

Yes, when you start addressing old trauma, it comes out in dreams and your mood. I am dealing with that myself right now.

[pixiedream99 in reply to FightingTheDark]

Sending love and hugs to you. I'm glad that I'm not going thru this alone. People who go to therapy are people who fight in a tough battle alone and in silent, so it means a lot to know that someone out there (or even many) are fighting the same battle as I do 🥲

[FightingTheDark in reply to pixiedream99]

Hang in. Once you get it out of your system life gets better.

[fauxartist]

Your a warrior.... hang in there... and great message for others opening up the can of worms that ensue when we finally face those demons.... the things in our past cannot hurt us today, we feel the scars no one else can see... it's hard ripping the band-aid off and doing the work. Your courage and strength and openness are inspirational...

[pixiedream99 in reply to fauxartist]

Thank you so much for your kind message. It's indeed very hard to rip the band-aid off and it seems like I'm not going anywhere because healing sometimes feels like I'm going backward instead of making progress...

[fauxartist in reply to pixiedream99]

As odd as this may sound...sometimes we get comfortable in accepting the damage is as it is....and change of the unknown is often a barrier to overcome... but lifting that weight can be very satisfying and liberating....and when we finally realize...wow.... I can't believe I didn't do this sooner... things will move forward. Some days we have to just exist with stuff and process...and some days we will slide backwards....but the thing to hold onto...is that now you know there is hope in learning to cope and some stuff can become more benign and not affect our daily lives as much.

[Dolphin14]

pixiedream99

This is very common.

I went through this with EMDR therapy. I walked out totally numb like a deer in the headlights. My therapist suggested good self care after therapy. I never scheduled anything on those days. I would sometimes just come home and sit and stare into space.

When we go inside and open the wounds it's very difficult. I'm a firm believer in that being the only way to heal. We put bandaids on those wounds so we could move on with our lives. Eventually those bandaids weren't sticking anymore. Those wounds need to be tended to and healed properly.

Take good care of yourself, loving kindness is key.

Wishing you the best

🐬

[pixiedream99]

"Loving kindness is key", I truly almost in tears reading your reply 😭 Thank you so much for your heartwarming reply. I need this a lot as it feels like I'm bleeding all over again after years of almost forgetting that I have ugly wounds here and there. Thank you so much 💕

[Dolphin14 in reply to pixiedream99]

I just came across your response, sorry for the delay.

They can be very ugly but we didn't put them there.

You deserve happiness so please make sure you are your own best friend

❤️

[samack]

PixieI never suffered from my trauma, emotional neglect, in the same way as you r trauma. I know that the pain in digging things up can feel Neverending. I'm in the midst of an extremely dark time too. Thanks for reminding us that we are supported.