Guest guest Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Guys, I'd love some feedback. So my therapist invited me to start attending group sessions. I was scared but curious so I did. Last night I went, I have fibro and migraines so I'm pretty careful with how I plan my time, to try to avoid flare ups. Anyway, I was in the midst of a fibro flair up. I actually had to run out of the session, could barely get myself home, and proceeded to be up all night vomiting, aching, hurting etc. Now I have a bad migraine. The timing just seems strange. Why attack me in a session? thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Maybe you're like me, GS. If I don't want to do something that is upsetting or hurtful or negative in some way, but I feel that I must, that I have no choice, then my body rebels. Its either a migraine, or (like last time, when I went to a family event in July) I started developing what felt like a bladder infection. Or, when I used to travel for business a lot (and got to where I dreaded it) I'd get hives and intestinal upsets. I noticed that just talking on the phone with my nada was beginning to result in a " meniere's disease " -like response that would debilitate me for up to a half day afterward (that's like a migraine plus loud ringing in the ears, vertigo (the room seems to spin) and vomiting, and then you sleep for 12 hours. Its weird.) So, my body will jump in and protest loudly when I do NOT want to do something. I think that's called psychosomatic: its a real, physical condition but it originates from anxiety or stress in the mind. -Annie > > Guys, I'd love some feedback. So my therapist invited me to start attending > group sessions. I was scared but curious so I did. Last night I went, I have > fibro and migraines so I'm pretty careful with how I plan my time, to try to > avoid flare ups. Anyway, I was in the midst of a fibro flair up. I actually > had to run out of the session, could barely get myself home, and proceeded > to be up all night vomiting, aching, hurting etc. Now I have a bad migraine. > The timing just seems strange. Why attack me in a session? > thoughts? > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Wow Girlscout, that sounded intense. How were you feeling emotionally before the groups sessions and leading into it before things got bad? Was this something you wanted to do or something you felt you had to do to please your therapist? My body will go haywire if the emotional stress is great enough. It's one thing to talk about all this stuff anonymously on the internet but a very different feel in person in a group. I did group therapy for a while and there were some benefits, but I was never as open there as I am here and even here I clam up a lot. It's a little threatening to know these people who know your face, who you might run into one day get to have all this very private information about you - people whose mental health and values you aren't in a position to verify either. Maybe your body had a huge self-protective reaction? > > Guys, I'd love some feedback. So my therapist invited me to start attending > group sessions. I was scared but curious so I did. Last night I went, I have > fibro and migraines so I'm pretty careful with how I plan my time, to try to > avoid flare ups. Anyway, I was in the midst of a fibro flair up. I actually > had to run out of the session, could barely get myself home, and proceeded > to be up all night vomiting, aching, hurting etc. Now I have a bad migraine. > The timing just seems strange. Why attack me in a session? > thoughts? > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Hmmm, I'm not sure, I felt good about it and open to it. I was feeling a lot of pain in my trigger points so I considered not going, but I went, thinking I might benefit. Personally I wonder if its the whole idea of therapy - like maybe my body is rebeling because I question whether I deserve it, whether I'm betraying my FOO and my culture. . . Or maybe it was just time for a migraine to attack. I don't know. Yeah the in person groups are different, I feel so bad for the other women, some of them are dealing better than others, but they have been through a lot. Maybe I'm just pissed off because life is such a bitch! On Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 3:30 PM, climberkayak wrote: > > > Wow Girlscout, that sounded intense. How were you feeling emotionally > before the groups sessions and leading into it before things got bad? Was > this something you wanted to do or something you felt you had to do to > please your therapist? My body will go haywire if the emotional stress is > great enough. > > It's one thing to talk about all this stuff anonymously on the internet but > a very different feel in person in a group. I did group therapy for a while > and there were some benefits, but I was never as open there as I am here and > even here I clam up a lot. It's a little threatening to know these people > who know your face, who you might run into one day get to have all this very > private information about you - people whose mental health and values you > aren't in a position to verify either. Maybe your body had a huge > self-protective reaction? > > > > > > > > > Guys, I'd love some feedback. So my therapist invited me to start > attending > > group sessions. I was scared but curious so I did. Last night I went, I > have > > fibro and migraines so I'm pretty careful with how I plan my time, to try > to > > avoid flare ups. Anyway, I was in the midst of a fibro flair up. I > actually > > had to run out of the session, could barely get myself home, and > proceeded > > to be up all night vomiting, aching, hurting etc. Now I have a bad > migraine. > > The timing just seems strange. Why attack me in a session? > > thoughts? > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Dear Girlscout, I think this would be a hard thing to do and you are definitely braver than me!! Perhaps it is a body rebelling kind of thing as people have suggested. Who knows. Like you reflected it could also be because you have a deep sense of not deserving it. Perhaps just stick with it a little while longer as I can see how it could be very powerful for your healing, but don't put any pressure on yourself. Sometimes the body knows what we need more than our rational selves. Can you just sit and observe in the group to begin with? That way you can just sit with the idea and observe your body and what it is trying to tell you. It may not be for you and that's ok. Oh and please believe that you deserve allowing yourself any time you need for your healing process! I think you should treat yourself to something fancy- a nice bottle of wine or some choccies for being so brave. This is not easy! Be gentle with yourself darling girl! Much warmth and hugs, Lynda > > > > > > Guys, I'd love some feedback. So my therapist invited me to start > > attending > > > group sessions. I was scared but curious so I did. Last night I went, I > > have > > > fibro and migraines so I'm pretty careful with how I plan my time, to try > > to > > > avoid flare ups. Anyway, I was in the midst of a fibro flair up. I > > actually > > > had to run out of the session, could barely get myself home, and > > proceeded > > > to be up all night vomiting, aching, hurting etc. Now I have a bad > > migraine. > > > The timing just seems strange. Why attack me in a session? > > > thoughts? > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 29, 2010 Report Share Posted September 29, 2010 Girlscout,I don't know but,maybe your body was signalling to you that you simply came up against a limit during the group session.Group therapy can be intense: the being right there in real time with other peoples' pain; not being able to predict what pain and issues the other people are going to bring up in real time and how that might make you feel...I mean,it's not like on here where we can just turn the message board off privately and discretely if what we're reading gets to be too much without sort of " turning away " from anyone on here.And we have the space on here to respond at will and in our own time--or to not respond if we can't. I get the sense from your posts that you are a very caring,expressive,empathetic,extraverted person.You've said that you communicate with the public for a living...I don't know how your group therapy session was run,if there was an even flow of discussion or if people were speaking and there were gaps before someone responded,but maybe? the group therapy setting was tweaking your natural extraversion and professionally honed expressiveness to the public when what you need right now is more one on one me time in therapy and maybe? that is why your body rebelled. I know that for me personally when I did group therapy for sexual abuse I couldn't sit comfortably with someone else expressing pain in real time without wanting to give some caring feedback if nobody else said anything--or at times even when the facilitator said something I thought of something to add,so even when I didn't add my thoughts basically I was becoming over focused on everyone else and not on myself.Call me a KO,but... Group therapy also left me with that feeling of " ain't life a bitch " ...it was too much for me at the time,hearing that pain in real time when my natural response was immediate and I wasn't in a place where I could mull it over or privately digest what I was hearing and take it in at my own pace; I was responding to the other peoples' energy too immediately for my own level of comfort. Sometimes you just have to try something to discover what your limits are.If that is the case here,it's a learning curve.It's a *good* thing for our own healing to be our priority; it is *good* to tend to ourselves.It's important to listen to what our bodies are telling us that we need.I'm sorry you had such a flare up and that you suffered like you did.You deserve to tend to yourself,you truly do.You.For you.For your own uniquely worthwhile self You have a right to your own limits--as well as to discover what they are and to honor them.And to walk away from something that is discomfitting you,for your own reasons,whatever they are. -- > > Hmmm, I'm not sure, I felt good about it and open to it. I was feeling a lot > of pain in my trigger points so I considered not going, but I went, thinking > I might benefit. Personally I wonder if its the whole idea of therapy - like > maybe my body is rebeling because I question whether I deserve it, whether > I'm betraying my FOO and my culture. . . Or maybe it was just time for a > migraine to attack. I don't know. Yeah the in person groups are different, I > feel so bad for the other women, some of them are dealing better than > others, but they have been through a lot. Maybe I'm just pissed off because > life is such a bitch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 29, 2010 Report Share Posted September 29, 2010 Girlscout, if you were already flaring you may well have triggered a migraine and worse flare just 'cause you didn't listen to your body and rest. Don't get me wrong, I am not faulting you because I do this a lot myself. ;-) My doc says he believes many fibro patients are type A personalities, lol. But you may also have triggered yourself just because you were thinking intensely about your childhood and nada. I do know my nada can cause some of the worst flares I get, even from just dealing with her affairs (she's in a nursing home.). And I was recently diagnosed with migraines (not typical, so I went alomg for months not knowing) and I have unhappily learned that a 20 minute to visit her in the home triggers a full-blown attack. Anyway, I suspect it was the group therapy, but not necessarily because it was a group. Em Sent from my blueberry. On Sep 28, 2010, at 11:12 AM, Girlscout Cowboy <girlscout.cowboy@... > wrote: > Guys, I'd love some feedback. So my therapist invited me to start > attending > group sessions. I was scared but curious so I did. Last night I > went, I have > fibro and migraines so I'm pretty careful with how I plan my time, > to try to > avoid flare ups. Anyway, I was in the midst of a fibro flair up. I > actually > had to run out of the session, could barely get myself home, and > proceeded > to be up all night vomiting, aching, hurting etc. Now I have a bad > migraine. > The timing just seems strange. Why attack me in a session? > thoughts? > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 29, 2010 Report Share Posted September 29, 2010 Thanks guys, I'll really think about all this feedback. honestly, I think I was already in flare and just sitting in too close of quarters can sometimes send me into full red alert zone. . . i'll talk it over with my therapist tomorrow in session. She encourages me to see how I'm feeling before a flare up. I'm like, I have no idea! > > > Girlscout, if you were already flaring you may well have triggered a > migraine and worse flare just 'cause you didn't listen to your body > and rest. Don't get me wrong, I am not faulting you because I do this > a lot myself. ;-) > > My doc says he believes many fibro patients are type A personalities, > lol. > But you may also have triggered yourself just because you were > thinking intensely about your childhood and nada. > I do know my nada can cause some of the worst flares I get, even from > just dealing with her affairs (she's in a nursing home.). And I was > recently diagnosed with migraines (not typical, so I went alomg for > months not knowing) and I have unhappily learned that a 20 minute to > visit her in the home triggers a full-blown attack. > Anyway, I suspect it was the group therapy, but not necessarily > because it was a group. > > Em > > Sent from my blueberry. > > On Sep 28, 2010, at 11:12 AM, Girlscout Cowboy <girlscout.cowboy@...<girlscout.cowboy%40gmail.com> > > wrote: > > > Guys, I'd love some feedback. So my therapist invited me to start > > attending > > group sessions. I was scared but curious so I did. Last night I > > went, I have > > fibro and migraines so I'm pretty careful with how I plan my time, > > to try to > > avoid flare ups. Anyway, I was in the midst of a fibro flair up. I > > actually > > had to run out of the session, could barely get myself home, and > > proceeded > > to be up all night vomiting, aching, hurting etc. Now I have a bad > > migraine. > > The timing just seems strange. Why attack me in a session? > > thoughts? > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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