hi... just a few words about psychotherapy (from someone who has trained in it and has worked with many survivors of abuse). Not homeopathy, but please indulge me guys

If you are going thru the NHS you probably have less choice than someone searching for a therapist privatly. BUT it is really important you feel comfortable with the person you see.

Psychotherapy is not necessarily going thru it all again and having to re-live it. It is important to establish a relationship based on trust and respect, if someone tries to push you to re-live things and you do not have that trust you will not feel safe and it will be a very traumatic experience.

Have you read anything about being a survivor? The book "Courage to Heal" by Laura Davis and Ellen Bass has a lot of strategies which can help you to find ways of coping with flashbacks and the process of surviving. You should be able to get it from any bookshop.

There is no easy way to go thru it, you should trust your intuition... not the easiest thing for a survivor to do. Ask for help when you need it. Have you considered contacting any other kind of help such as a telephone helpline, this may help with the flashbacks?

Hope this is helpful and you find what you need in therapy.

And yes, drugs suppress the things you are feeling and can work against the process of healing emotionally. Some therapists (not all) will not work with clients who are on medication for this reason. The advice here is good.

Janyce

[This message has been edited by janyce (edited 30 October 2000).]