Nick.

I have found a therapist who specailizes in this and does EMDR. I've
only done it a couple of times so far, so I can't really speak to
much about it yet, but I'm doing everything I can do and I am making
new connections, etc. I had one meeting with two people from a CISM
team of over 30 that are local to my area. a mental health worker
and a paramedic. So tell me, what do you do, where are you from, and
how did you come to be on this site?
Stephanie


> On 10/8/05, Stephanie <amstar1212@m...> wrote:
> ...
>
> Eventually through talking to people on a CISM
> > team I started to figure out what was going on.
>
>
>
> Did you do an actual debriefing with the CISM team? If not, may I
suggest
> that you consider doing so -- that should help a bit. For other
help, if you
> can find and pay for (through insurance, I would hope) a therapist
with
> experience in PTSD, especially someone who has experience with
EMDR, I've
> found that to be important.
>
> I also have dealt with my PTSD by joining our regional CISM team,
where
> debriefing the debriefers is a fundamental part of our operations.
At our
> CISM team meetings, we talk about our own difficult incidents as
well as the
> debriefings themselves. But I have to add a caution that a badly-
run
> debriefing or team can do more harm that good... so look for
people with
> experience and credentials.
>
> As for the friend who doesn't get it, it may be that he has his
own trauma
> that he's dealing with by pretending it didn't happen, so he
expects you to
> do the same. Your friendship may never be the same, I'm afraid. At
the same
> time, remember that although people can't understand what you've
> experienced, empathy doesn't require understanding. You've been
through a
> terrible experience, had to deal with something overwhelming, when
your
> intent and training were calling for you to take control and help.
I'm sure
> everyone here can empathize with that -- I sure do. And even
people who
> haven't been first responders often have had those feelings, just
not in the
> same context and most of them not not nearly as extreme.
>
> You are far from alone. Our CISM team has been debriefing a lot of
people
> who have been touched by Katrina -- and we're on the West Coast.
It is huge
> and will continue to touch many, many lives for the next couple of
years.
>
> Take care of yourself!
>
> Peace.
>
> Nick
>
> --
> Nick Arnett
> narnett@m...
> Messages: 408-904-7198
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>