A few weeks back I attended a Level 3 RRT® training. We were fortunate enough to have a client of one of our RRT® therapists come to give her testimonial. She was a Major in the Army and had served twice in Iraq. Just her military career alone was a lot of trauma, beyond that though she had a lot of childhood trauma. She discussed with us how after returning from her second deployment in Iraq she had sought counseling...but after telling a few therapists what she had experienced in Iraq the therapists were traumatized themselves and she was desperate for help.
This is what I'm talking about with staying emotionally present and available for the client. How upsetting would that be to have your own haunting ghosts going on, you seek professional help and in doing so traumatize the professional.
After hearing her testimonial I realized how other people's experiences with trauma no longer trigger my emotional brain. This may sound like I'm cold-hearted but when a client comes to me with years of having been sexual violated by their Dad I'm there for them, solid within myself so I can guide them and clear the trauma they've already survived. So many times a client says to me something like "You don't want to hear what I had to deal with as a child." Or "Your going to think that my emotional response to what happened is silly." Or even "I'm scared to tell you what happened to me."
Here's the thing...I've heard some seriously horrific stories of terrible things people have survived. It's my job to understand how the client's mind has been responding to those events and to get that facet of their mind updated so it's working in a way that's more advantageous to them. With this knowledge of how the mind responds to trauma and continues to effect the person I just don't seem to be able to get "lost" in someone's story because I'm looking forward to where I'm going to get them.
It's also my job to help that client stay as emotionally present with me while we get to where we're going. Part of why people are scared to say what happened to them is they are afraid of feeling the "pain" all over again. But I know how to minimize and stop that from happening. Another reason people are afraid to say is they are afraid I will also feel that pain...yep not gonna happen to this therapist. And lastly some people are afraid that I will pass judgement on them. Also not going to happen. Crappy things happen, it's not because of who that person is. It was due to something messed up in the other person's mind.
So if you've survived some trauma, big or small... Bring it!
Be well, Be happy-
Tara S. Dickherber, LPC
Certified Rapid Resolution Therapy® therapist
Executive Director of the Institute for Survivors of Sexual Violence™
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