Posted by Pfinstegg on March 20, 2004, at 23:33:19
In reply to Nearest that I know of... » Pfinstegg, posted by Racer on March 20, 2004, at 23:05:12
The thing about these so called *helpers* that you have is that they're probably more used to dealing with people with diagnoses like schizophrenia. So you, by comparison, would seem to have nothing to complain about! Also, this idea about piling Axis 2 diagnoses on you- what a waste of time!: quite a lot of mental health and neuroscience experts don't even think the DSM IV distinctions are valid or helpful any longer. The newest thinking seems to be that most of the disorders are "disorders of affect regulation". They are real, brain-based disorders, with origins in various childhood traumas, which wax and wane depending on how much stress vs. support and understanding we all have, and which can respond extremely well (and permanently) to the best therapy and medication. This includes *borderline*, which my analyst, for example, no longer uses as a diagnosis, even though he sees, by preference, people with difficult problems.. As you point out, you are very high-functioning, even though you have a lot of inner pain to deal with. Me too.
San Francisco has more than one analytic institute, I think. I'll look them up and post what I find. As it happens, I use the couch most of the time, but many analytic patients do not. You don't have to. You also don't have to go every day: I go twice a week. All the modern analyst are interactive and *relational* in their work- no different from the best therapists who have been described on this board, but sometimes with more training, and more preparation to be successful with patients who used to be called borderline, but may be called Complex PTSD now. Do not be worried that you will run into a horrible "blank slate" if you decide to do it- those have all been retired!
poster:Pfinstegg
thread:326006
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040313/msgs/326587.html