YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Hello! I am wondering if anyone has any recommendations of books to read/workbooks/types of therapy to overcome sustained childhood trauma. The trauma includes: sexual abuse, Physical and Verbal abuse, Alcoholic Parent, Childhood neglect and abandonment. I just left my counselor's office and she said that she would look for some stuff, but I don't see her again for another two weeks. As I explained to her today, I've been in talk therapy (Psychotherapy) before and still feel like there is this huge painful rock in my chest during therapy and I feel like I wish I could have surgery to have it removed. It's pent up, despite counseling. I am diagnosed with BPD, MDD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, ADHD. I also have survived two suicide attempts. I have just recently begun weekly DBT Therapy.
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you and have a great day!

The most effective treatment for trauma I have noticed in my practice is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a type of therapy that is somatic (body based) and work rapidly compared to talk therapy. Ive used it for years in my work with victims of violent crimes. If you google EMDR you can learn about it and how it has been approved to use with veterans at the VA with severe posttraumatic stress returning from war. It requires advanced training and not every therapist has the skill. I have used it with clients to unblock and process through abuse, trauma, assaults, etc and notice it really just makes therapy fly by.

Grace Pacheco, MFT
www.EastBayAreaTherapy.com