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Yes. I'm still recovering (in year 5 of therapy) but notice a night and day difference in my capacity to focus and be present and alert. > Talk therapy has done little. I honestly don't think recovery from trauma can be achieved without psychotherapy. You can cover it up, but it's still going to impact your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to some degree. You might get lucky with things like psychedelics, but finding the right therapist and right therapy will bring about change more consistently. The challenge, however, is that there are many styles of therapy and many styles of therapists. Also, there are different types of trauma (eg. shock trauma, complex trauma, attachment trauma) that require different approaches to treatment. I was lucky in that I found a therapy and therapist that worked for me in my first try. My partner, however, went through 7 therapists over the course of a few years before they found a good fit. Any decent therapist will not be offended if you tell them you feel therapy is not going anywhere, in fact it's in their code of ethics that they need to help you find a better fit. What works for me isn't going to work for you, but here's my opinion (that you didn't ask for) on therapies that are better at treating trauma than CBT or "traditional" talk therapy: Internal Family Systems therapy, EMDR, the NeuroAffective Relational Model, and Somatic Experiencing / Sensorimotor. AEDP and Coherence Therapy are also decent options. If CBT is all that's available, at least try to find TF-CBT (trauma-focused). |