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psychologist do you have one?


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Hello

Do you people have a psychologist? Another docter of me told me to get one, to help me in my daily life, i dont know what i can say to him/her.

Hppd is in my believe a brain disease instead of some psycholigal problem, although i have problem wih anxiety on the streetsan or with poeple etc..

I am confident this feeling of weirdness will not go away with talking about it with someone, or does anyone have other reports?

Thanks!

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They can be helpful for identifying thinking patterns that make life more difficult, and for ways to change the way we respond to things.

 

Sometimes a person can't do much to change the situation they are in that causes stress.  But you can always change how you respond to stress, thus taking the 'sting' out of it.  So in a sense, stress is defined by how we view and respond to it.  Some HPPDers find that visuals improve when they change their stress response.

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It certainly doesn´t hurt to try! I´ve been seeing a therapist for the last 6 months through my college and recently joined an CBT group for anxiety. Although it doesn´t do anything for my visuals, it´s been helpful just to talk to someone (she even researched HPPD a bit when I mentioned it) and managing some of the thought patterns causing me anxiety (going crazy, life is destroyed etc). When anxiety is low, DP/DR is much less of an issue IME and thus quality of life is somewhat better :)

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I've been seeing a therapist for about five months now and I have to say it has helped a lot in reducing my anxiety.  She's offered some very interesting connections between HPPD and other sources of anxiety in my life that I would not have thought of otherwise and I now have ways of co-existing with my HPPD which has lowered my stress-level, thus, lowering the severity of my symptoms a bit.  

 

If you're interested you should google "Low-fee therapy" for your area.  I found a place that is non-profit and runs on a sliding-scale fee that is proportionate to the patient's income, so it is reasonably affordable.  I wouldn't say "cheap" per say, but manageable and well worth it.

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I'm a little bit apprehensive about seeing a psychologist. I just feel weird seeing someone I don't know and pouring myself into them in person especially. It actually makes me feel quivery to the point of shutting down just by contemplating it. I have to make a choice sooner or later about what I'm going to do. Its hard for my brain to wrap around it.. I just can't seem to make a dam choice while always debating with myself. I know there is cons or side affects to virtually all of conventional drugs in the pharmaceutical world.

Money is not the issue for me its my mind:-o I pretty much live vicariously through others experiences and testimonial statements while ironically suffering intensively by myself.. I prey every day and even feel weird about that too.. I also have a bunch of intrusive thoughts running through my head. Anyways its been nice snickering at u all. Hppd24yearsandintomy25O_O fuck me (not literally just saying)

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I have my first session with a psychologist scheduled for tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it! :)

.

If u don't mind me asking like what do u say to this individual?? I mean u never met this person before I would imagine? Do u feel anxious or nervous like honestly?? I'm really seriously thinking about this myself I just have to get over the hump of humiliation by not feeling like a extraterrestrial being. No offence but do u feel weird inside seeing the psych considering ur job title? Or he/she might think of u as mentally crazy. (which we are not) maybe u can give me some insiders after ur meeting tomorrow on what they say or maybe ur opener to the psych. Good luck..

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Thanks, hppd24years.

I feel that the session went well, she (the psychologist) was nice and understanding. 

First of all, it doesn't matter if your therapist thinks that you're a bit crazy - I'm sure she has seen worse nutjobs than you and I :) Secondly, the probably wont think that you're "crazy", she's not there to judge, only to help (and make a bucketload of money in the process). Even if she did think you were just crazy, that would just make her a lousy therapist, and you'd better find a new one :)

 

I started by telling her a bit about myself, what I do etc. Then I went on to describe, in broad strokes, my problems (anxiety, panic disorder, HPPD) while she listened. She occasionally asked me to explain/describe certain things (how my HPPD affected me, what I do in a day) and then we talked for some time about my anxiety, what triggers it, and most of all, the events in my life which has led to where I am today. Then, towards the end, we did some breathing exercises, which spaced me out a bit, but all in all felt good.

I'll be seeing her again next week.

 

I should perhaps stress (to hppd33 and others) that I did not go to a psychologist hoping to cure my HPPD (I believe that would be futile, for me) but rather to help me deal with my HPPD and my anxiety (which is a lot worse, to me, than the HPPD itself).

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yes, of course. but no-one understands hppd and we dont know where we are going.. are we getting better, or dont we? The insecurity of that makes me mad sometimes. I know i am the most afraid of the DP/DR thing, the CEV's and OEV's are more dealable.. i always think what can happen if i go there and there blabla. Always have the doom thought, maybe you know what i mean. If i have to go next week to a birthdayparty i can stress about it already today and think the whole day about it.. also when i go thinking what is wrong and what i cant do anymore, i hate myself for doing what i did, taken that mdma. 

 

When i wake up the first thing that comes to mind is, fuck another day! Panick attack. About this time (5:00PM) I start to feel better, dont know why, maybe because of the end of the day, although i didnt do anything important today.

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Hum, well I have to take a plunge here while first looking down to see were the hell I'm going to land.. I can't keep questioning everything or everybody.. I have to initiate the angle I'm going in on and trust it ultimately. I have taken bits and pieces from peeps on here while developing a criteria from it.. "Battle for my brain$ sanity" I hope it's the right answer for this equation or gives me some relief grrrr.. Thanks to all the peeps on here with their experiences, theories, knowledge, laughs and time. Please excuse my hiccups from time to time hppd24yearsandtimetomakeachoiceforthebetter!!

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.

If u don't mind me asking like what do u say to this individual?? I mean u never met this person before I would imagine? Do u feel anxious or nervous like honestly?? I'm really seriously thinking about this myself I just have to get over the hump of humiliation by not feeling like a extraterrestrial being. No offence but do u feel weird inside seeing the psych considering ur job title? Or he/she might think of u as mentally crazy. (which we are not) maybe u can give me some insiders after ur meeting tomorrow on what they say or maybe ur opener to the psych. Good luck..

 

I feel very comfortable talking with my psychologist but that might just be because I'm a very open person, possibly to a fault.  I could totally see why you'd be apprehensive.  I usually just sit down and start talking about how my week went.  If your psychologist is good then he/she should be able to take what you say and steer it into further conversation/analysis.  When I describe my symptoms I get very empathetic reactions from my psych along the lines of "Wow that really sucks." or "That must be extremely tough to deal with." which makes me feel a little more comfortable talking to her because she doesn't judge, she simply empathizes and offers analytical insight.  She hadn't heard of HPPD but I sent her Dr. Abraham's website and she was happy to research it herself.  Like StateOfRegret said, it's not a cure, but it definitely relieves anxiety to talk about it and I believe that a change in perspective of/relationship with HPPD has potential to relieve symptoms for some people.  That being said, not every psychologist is great.  I'm sure there are some out there that might be judgmental or closed-minded and difficult to talk to.  If you get somebody like that I'd bail and try a different one.

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Whether you decide to see a psychologist, a licensed social worker, counselor, priest/pastor, life coach etc., they are all trained professionals and skilled in the methods to put the client at ease... to establish the rapport, guide the therapeutic process, help you by gently drawing out the areas of your life you'd like to address. If you find one who doesn't do those things, don't go back and find another one.  Counseling can and should be healing.  Nobody should feel alone with HPPD, but they sure do because of the condition's rarity and the community's misunderstanding of it.  A counselor can bridge the areas of your life that feel broken by helping you reframe your life situation into something manageable.

 

A huge symptom common with HPPD is anxiety... not to mention the reclusive lifestyle so many sufferers resort to because of the difficulty with lights and noise.  Guilt/regret can be a big problem... blaming yourself for past drug use.  A counselor can ease such burdens and provide resources such as coping skills and healthy ways to process information and change your own "self talk" to more positive messages and affirmations of self-worth.  

 

Many people with HPPD report that as time marches on, they are "better"... sometimes it is NOT because symptoms have alleviated, but because they have learned to work around the symptoms and acclimate.  Part of the adjustment is mental... ACCEPTANCE of what is.  In this process is the possibility of creating a meaningful life and finding joy DESPITE the difficulty.

There is hope.  Everybody needs a soft place to land... And, friends and well-intended family members sometimes fail to say the right things or find patience when you need to unload.   A counselor can fill that void.

 

Wishing comfort to all!

 

Doreen M. Lewis, PhD

www.facesofhppd.com 

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I feel very comfortable talking with my psychologist but that might just be because I'm a very open person, possibly to a fault.  I could totally see why you'd be apprehensive.  I usually just sit down and start talking about how my week went.  If your psychologist is good then he/she should be able to take what you say and steer it into further conversation/analysis.  When I describe my symptoms I get very empathetic reactions from my psych along the lines of "Wow that really sucks." or "That must be extremely tough to deal with." which makes me feel a little more comfortable talking to her because she doesn't judge, she simply empathizes and offers analytical insight.  She hadn't heard of HPPD but I sent her Dr. Abraham's website and she was happy to research it herself.  Like StateOfRegret said, it's not a cure, but it definitely relieves anxiety to talk about it and I believe that a change in perspective of/relationship with HPPD has potential to relieve symptoms for some people.  That being said, not every psychologist is great.  I'm sure there are some out there that might be judgmental or closed-minded and difficult to talk to.  If you get somebody like that I'd bail and try a different one.

Thanks for the input, I'm thinking about a intro like "hi I have horrible anxiety and tinnitus at a alarming rate and I feel it is interfering with my life" as well as, "I see dead people" (<kidding) no more like, "I also see tracers, streamers, after images in my visual field constantly and it's been going on for 25 years now" I feel this is a good start for me I know I'm only scratching the surface but it is a giant step for this skeptical bastard('o')

Then I predict it's the conventional drugs from there hppd stack with ready jets!!! Hppd24years..

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Whether you decide to see a psychologist, a licensed social worker, counselor, priest/pastor, life coach etc., they are all trained professionals and skilled in the methods to put the client at ease... to establish the rapport, guide the therapeutic process, help you by gently drawing out the areas of your life you'd like to address. If you find one who doesn't do those things, don't go back and find another one.  Counseling can and should be healing.  Nobody should feel alone with HPPD, but they sure do because of the condition's rarity and the community's misunderstanding of it.  A counselor can bridge the areas of your life that feel broken by helping you reframe your life situation into something manageable.

 

A huge symptom common with HPPD is anxiety... not to mention the reclusive lifestyle so many sufferers resort to because of the difficulty with lights and noise.  Guilt/regret can be a big problem... blaming yourself for past drug use.  A counselor can ease such burdens and provide resources such as coping skills and healthy ways to process information and change your own "self talk" to more positive messages and affirmations of self-worth.  

 

Many people with HPPD report that as time marches on, they are "better"... sometimes it is NOT because symptoms have alleviated, but because they have learned to work around the symptoms and acclimate.  Part of the adjustment is mental... ACCEPTANCE of what is.  In this process is the possibility of creating a meaningful life and finding joy DESPITE the difficulty.

There is hope.  Everybody needs a soft place to land... And, friends and well-intended family members sometimes fail to say the right things or find patience when you need to unload.   A counselor can fill that void.

 

Wishing comfort to all!

 

Doreen M. Lewis, PhD

www.facesofhppd.com

Thanks for the input it felt like a nice cool breeze went through me after reading that..

Well I started cracking this shell I've been living in and breaking through the chains that left me binded in solitary disassociation. Sometimes u feel alienated into self conviction wondering frequently"Y ME" "How the hell did I get myself into this mess"?? I constantly imagine what it would be like to break free from this whilst reaching for the feeling of normality like when I was 15 years old and prior to. I know what it's like to be hppd free, I just can't figure out how to get there??

Are u the lady that had a son with hppd?? And if so is he doing ok??

Anyhoot I'm choosing a doc tomorrow and making an appointment. I feel good about it, again thanks for the input everyone(*_*) hppd24yearandintomy25.

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