Resources in Alabama

[The Warren]

Anyone know of resources for getting help for someone living in Alabama - not necesarily multiple help specific but definately help for f*cky trauma and disocisation sh*t. Is anyone in that neck of the woods?

Lea

[Reilly]

Hi Lea.
Finding resources in the South can be a challenge. You might try contacting the Sidran Institute. They have a help desk with referrals. Psychologist Ellen Lacter also keeps a list of therapists around the country. You can reach her at ellenlacter@earthlink.net. Psychology Today has referrals as well. You can put in your zip code and specialty (like DID, trauma, etc.) The Colin Ross Institute ( Texas, Michigan, and California) is also a good resource for referrals.
Hope this is of some help to you.
Good luck.

[The People]

Another option might be to find out if there is an *ss**lt centre in the district where you live. They often have a resource list. Some centres even have staff on site that can assist people; at least on a short term basis. Best wishes in finding someone. It isn't just in the south that it is hard.

When I started my journey I worked with a woman who just taught herself as we went along. I asked out last T and she said that they did not get a lot of 'teaching' on the subject. So if you cannot find a specialist on the issue, perhaps try to find someone with healthy boundaries and an open mind who would be willing to at least try to get you started. It worked for me.

[The Warren]

Sidran was one of the first places I directed our friend to. I figure if they can't find safe help or are too afraid to try again, they can at least get information that they can work with on their own. I will pass on the info your gave Reilly.

I am really shocked at the BS they have gotten from Ts in their area even not related to trauma and dissociation. The state laws around commitment and forced treatment are some of the most backwards I have seen in the US. It's like they're operating in the dark ages when it comes to mental health services.

Lea

[Twin Volition]

(03-10-2014, 04:47 PM)The Warren Wrote: Sidran was one of the first places I directed our friend to. I figure if they can't find safe help or are too afraid to try again, they can at least get information that they can work with on their own. I will pass on the info your gave Reilly.

I am really shocked at the BS they have gotten from Ts in their area even not related to trauma and dissociation. The state laws around commitment and forced treatment are some of the most backwards I have seen in the US. It's like they're operating in the dark ages when it comes to mental health services.

Lea

A quick question for you, Lea---and forgive me if it comes off as a little weird... My mother very recently got some advice from someone that directed us to this website. My mom's name is Shari. Was it you she spoke with? If so, we want to say thanks, personally.

If it was someone else you talked to, we too live in the North Alabama region, and can definitely confirm that the treatment here is barbaric. We went for just one 45 minute visit to a psychologist in downtown Huntsville and we were forcibly committed on the spot. We were hospitalized for not even 2 days, and just in that time we were

Spoiler

drugged and sedated against our will,

had infected injuries that needed treatment get ignored by medical personnel, and were even ridiculed by the staff there. To answer your question about finding help in the South, my advice is, if at all possible, to go somewhere else. It is very unsafe to seek treatment/therapy here for anything, even marriage/divorce-related things, and I say this from experience.

[The Warren]

LOL yeh that's was us. I hardly post here anymore because I'm so busy with other stuff but thought I'd poke in and ask in case I was missing something.

We live in the northeast, and while now it's better and the minimal care I still get (pretty much just for script refills) is excellent, 20 years ago when I was in the same spot, it was just as barbaric, maybe a little less because at the time our forcible commitment was up to 10 days, did not permit forced medication, and even if you were brought in that way you could immediately change your status to "conditional voluntary" which gave you more options. Your state laws are stupid ridiculous. My frickin jaw dropped, and I think 1/2 the words I wrote to your mom started with the letter F. (MM old timers, think of my old Steam posts - it was like that.)

The short story is I was in the same exact spot at the same age experiencing the same things. I did a lot of time in the state hospital and pretty much made the rounds of most of the private ones. I couldn't so much as look at any of these psych people sideways without being tossed into lock-up. There was no internet or networking with people all over to find information and support. My last hospitalization was 1993. I did not find any information or understanding of my experiences until being able to go online in 1997. Before that the only place I might find people who got it was among a few other patients in the hospital which is obviously not where anyone wants to be. If I and other people around me had access to that 10 years prior and I was able to find people who would just freak out and send me away, maybe things would have been less awful for less time. It was just as damaging to not be believed after the first time we ended up in the hospital. That just pushed us into a downward spiral. It's bad enough to go through all of that stuff, but having people invalidate you at every turn is just the nail in the coffin.

I'm old now. Life is good. PM of email if you want.

Lea