Page 428 - Total War on PTSD

P. R. (2018) Whole Therapist, Whole Patient – Integrating Reich, Masterson and Jung in Modern Psychotherapy. Retrieved from https://www.routledge.com/Whole-Therapist- Whole-Patient-Integrating-Reich-Masterson-and-Jung/Frisch/p/book/9781138562363 — Chapter 16, Progression into Trauma)
Hardships can be integrated in treatment, illuminated in the conscious mind, parsed out cognitively with specificity, experienced emotionally and biophysically, and reworked repeatedly until situations are better integrated into the flow of the person’s narrative without needing to be sequestered, partitioned off, hidden, and dissociated but rather absorbed, incorporated, and accepted.
Anyone who has been in therapy likely has their story to share, but it is likely the emotional effect is buried and the story line can become defensive in nature. For the Veteran to safely delve into the recesses of their mind and re-experience personal trauma, there needs to be a strong sense of safety in an environment that is stable, consistent, and regulated. Traumatic material captures the extreme vulnerability once felt and arouses physiological sensations once endured that are set off in the present. Traveling the traumatic minefield necessitates caution. Defenses must be softened and the parameters of the relationship established. Then deeper material will be able to unfold organically, in a safe environment.
With Veterans the protocol may change slightly as case management needs to be emphasized and in place right from the beginning. If there has been drug addiction to pain killers or extensive use of sleep medications or alcoholism then those acting out behaviors need to be translated into healthier habits so therapy can take hold. Recovery programs are suggested in parallel with therapy; possibly a new medication
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