NursingLink

firstly, i'm very sry for your horrible past, my past hasn' been too happy either and i know how you feel.

i've been to many psychologists since i was 5 yrs old. most psychologists are not compassionate, and don't really care wat you're going through, but they're there to listen. if you just need someone to talk to, they're helpful, but if you want someone to talk to AND care, try to find a good friend that will listen and will not tell everyone wat you've been through. good friends are hard to find, but they're out there.

Sometimes just talking to someone can help rid you of old luggage. Maybe it can bring back some hidden parts of a puzzle. People who are in the listening business usually have to hear quite a bit over a period of time to be able to "know where you're coming from".

I am NOT a preacher or some holy roller. But I do believe that a strong belief in God, or some superior power if you will, has a place in one's life to help bring about inner peace.

Additionally studying Buddha and his life and teachings may bring about some understanding of not only why these things happened to you but how to go about resolving these matters internally.

I have suffered a lot of the things you mention except for date rape. My persoanl coping system is a belief that God intends these things to happen but may not reveal now or ever why they did. Maybe it is to force you to look deeper into yourself so you may help others.

As a personal note I know how miserable my ex is now. The divorce, which was her idea and came out of the blue, was supposed to get her over her depression. An external solution to an internal problem. She's still depressed and by her own admission it has never let up. Now she is jealous because our daughter chose to come live with me less than 8 months after this divorce and has little to do with her, I have a great job and more friends than ever.

I don't think God wants us to gloat over someboy else's misery but I am human and give in to it once in a while.

Good luck, God Bless and yes, go talk to a psychologist that you like or even to a preacher you trust.

Sorry to hear about your troubles MamaDawn,

This comes from my experience and a lot of research.

You will have to see many therapists to find the one who fits you best. If you don't know how to judge a good rule of thumb is that you should start getting affirmative results by the third session. You should not be confused about what is happeneing in the sessions or what the therapist says. If the therapists explanations seem obtuse it is a sign you should consider moving on.

I've seen four so far in a year and a half. This last one I wasted five months because I mistrusted my own gut and feelings about him. This mistrust was because he was the fourth. After realizing he had diverted me many times, sent me down at least two paths of his choosing and provided extremely obtuse explanations when asked about this, he didn't provide any structure or direction as shown by my confusion between sessions I finally accepted that it wasn't me and that he was not my fit. This goes with what I read a year ago and mentioned above, you may have to see a lot of therapists to find the right one.

take a looks at these links;

http://www.aboutpsychotherapy.com/

http://www.villanova.edu/studentlife/counselingcenter/infosheets/ps...

http://www.traumaawareness.org/id45.html

http://allpsych.com/therapy.html

good luck

You may have (I am not diagnosing) PTSD

PTSD does not have to always be treated with meds.  My father is in his 90's and is currently being treated for WW2 PTSD.  The psychiatrist said that the PTSD has always been with him but he was able to effectively cope for many many years by keeping active, and having his mind.    But now, as he is getting older and Alzheimers disease is bringing down his defenses, his PTSD is becoming acute and active, and now it requires meds to treat.