Had the talk about meds....

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Had the talk about meds....
3
Mon, 12-04-2006 - 11:51am
And it was about what I expected. He always needs a really long time to warm up to an idea, so I presented my thoughts to him and told him to think about it and maybe talk to K. (his former counselor who still comes around and spends some time unofficially with him). He is still saying that he won't ever take pills for anything (and I know he won't even take an Advil for a headache! Who knows for sure what all he's been told about medications.) But he did make one point that I really have to admit is valid - he said "I thought the EMDR was supposed to help with my anxiety? Why can't we give that a chance to work first?" So- point taken. I only JUST spoke to him about anxiety and PTSD (which he originally denied he HAS) and the therapy. In the past he's been very resistant to therapy, and now he's committed to trying it. So I really can't pressure him about meds at the same time. I guess we'll start the therapy after Christmas, since he's taking a trip on the holiday to visit his biological grandparents. From what I understand, the EMDR can cause all kinds of trauma memories to resurface, leading to rages and grieving, and such - so I sure don't want that happening while he's with them.
Avatar for heartsandroses2002
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 12-04-2006 - 1:05pm

{{HUGS}} It sounds like a great plan to wait until after the holidays - just being with his bio-grandparents could stir up some lost or forgotten memories, you just never know.

Try the EMDR, it could work just fine on it's own. I'm glad you were able to speak honestly with him without it turning into a blow out - sounds like he may be maturing a bit!

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-20-2005
Mon, 12-04-2006 - 3:07pm
I'm not at all familar with that medication but I hope it helps. It sounds like it might be rough at first and I hope he has the patience to wait it out and work through it all. It also sounds like he wants to try to get better. Committing to therapy is a huge step for some people that have been through trauma. I was sexually abused as a child and honestly the therapy was almost as difficult as living with the abuse. Granted I came out of therapy a much stronger and better person, it was very very tough to do. Please be patient and encouraging of him - I'm impressed that he's willing to give it a try.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Mon, 12-04-2006 - 4:36pm
Thank you for your personal story on that. When talking about this type of therapy, I tried to be as clear as possible - I told him that he would basically have to re-experience all the trauma again, and that he'd feel just as scared and sad as he did when it first happened. I wanted him to KNOW it would be tough, so he wouldn't shut down at the first sign of that. He is STILL very committed to doing it, despite that. AND he admitted to traumatic events that I didn't think he was even willing to acknowledge even happened. I'm cautiously optimistic about this!