Lessons from the psychotherapy chair
I have been in both chairs in the psychotherapy room, and I have learned the value of good therapy, and I have learned the value of bad therapy. Not only have I learned the value of therapy, but I have also learned a lot of lessons in both chairs. Today, I occupy the psychotherapist chair and sometimes the client chair, and I continue to learn lessons that both surprise me and teach me that a graduate degree does not guarantee expertise or even basic knowledge about mental health in today's world. I want to share some of the things that I have learned from both chairs that have set the course of my journey both as a therapist and a human being. These are the lessons learned by an OG WooWoo Therapist during 28 years in the therapist chair.
Lessons from the psychotherapy chair
Emotional shutdown vs Autism
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Today I talk about emotional shutdown with CPTSD and autism. This is a client requested topic. I am not a trained autism therapist but have basic knowledge enough to speak with confidence.
Here are some resources if you want to go deeper.
Levine, P. A. (2010). In an unspoken voice: How the body releases trauma and restores goodness. North Atlantic Books.
Ogden, P., Minton, K., & Pain, C. (2006). Trauma and the body: A sensorimotor approach to psychotherapy. W. W. Norton.
Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.
Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W. W. Norton.
Dana, D. (2018). The polyvagal theory in therapy: Engaging the rhythm of regulation. W. W. Norton.
Schore, A. N. (2012). The science of the art of psychotherapy. W. W. Norton.
Putnam, F. W. (1997). Dissociation in children and adolescents: A developmental perspective. Guilford Press.
van der Hart, O., Nijenhuis, E. R. S., & Steele, K. (2006). The haunted self: Structural dissociation and the treatment of chronic traumatization. W. W. Norton.
Attwood, T. (2007). The complete guide to Asperger’s syndrome. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Kapp, S. K. (Ed.). (2020). Autistic community and the neurodiversity movement: Stories from the frontline. Palgrave Macmillan.
Dell’Osso, L., Carpita, B., Muti, D., & Morelli, V. (2018). Autism spectrum in patients with PTSD: Clinical implications. Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health, 14, 191–198.
Rumball, F., Happé, F., & Grey, N. (2020). Experience of trauma and PTSD symptoms in autistic adults: Risk of PTSD development following DSM-5 and non-DSM-5 traumatic life events. Autism Research, 13(12), 2122–2132.