I HAVE MANY COMPLEX EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH PROBLEMS AFTER A LIFETIME OF COMPLEX TRAUMA.

In terms of my mental health, the methods advocated by the mental health “experts” revolved around mindfulness, breathing, exercises, distraction, self soothing.

In a crisis the answer was always “have a bath or do some mindfulnesss or watch tv” or “have a hair cut or a massage“. The mental health team seemed to have no appreciation of how these things were not only just not “working” to help me, but increasing my distress and making me a lot worse.

They severely invalidated many of my problems.

They denied me the helped I desperately needed.

I have many chronic pain issues. I was referred for help from the pain team – they didn’t even do the face to face assessment they were supposed to – just dismissed me based on how I looked written down on paperwork. They said they couldn’t help due to the severity of my mental health. I did eventually get two sessions with them – but then the pain consultant thanked ME for what I taught HIM about living with and managing chronic pain! That involved telling him about floating. He had never heard of floating. Nor had the mental health team!

My physical and emotional health was just spiralling down and down, badly invalidated, not getting the help I badly needed, developing more and more problems.