"Cat-sitting"

So I am "cat-sitting" (baby-sitting) the cats at my parents' house for the next few days. Katrina, the younger one, already threw up on my mother's jewelry box. Luckily there was a cloth on top of the box that caught most of it.

We tried out brainspotting in therapy today. I had to follow what looked like a radio antenna while it went from left to right with my eyes. Nothing happened for me, so we stopped and she said we'd try it again some other time. Talk therapy with her always seems to work out pretty well, so I am not concerned.

My boyfriend and I have planned a trip to Central Park for Friday. I just checked the weather for NYC and it says partly cloudy for Friday. Hopefully it will stay that way, or change to sunny. I am really looking forward to this trip with him. Our last trip was back in June to see Dave Matthews Band in Connecticut. That was a lot of fun, even though we got completely drenched. I always enjoy my time with him. I love him with all of my heart.

Last Friday, my boyfriend and I went to Petco and looked at the animals there. There were two mice in this one running wheel, one of them was just clinging on to it; the other was running. So the clinging one kept going upside down, it was pretty funny. On our way out we looked at the kittens, and of course, I wanted to take one home. One of my housemates says she hates cats, so that is out of the question.

I was just interrupted by Katrina- she wanted to play. So I tossed the tiger head stuffy through the hallway a couple of times. She loves to chase after things, especially toy mice! Our other cat, Spooky, likes to chase after light on the ground or walls. Reflecting sunlight from watches, or the laser light pen always seems to do the trick. I think I am going to go back now and play with Spooky.

EMDR and Brainspotting

So I talked to Jeanne on the phone this morning. We are going to try EMDR and Brainspotting in my future sessions with her. EMDR, according to the Cognitive Therapy Associates website is as follows:

"Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapeutic technique used by licensed mental health practitioners who are trained in this protocol to facilitate the recovery of those suffering from aftereffects of traumatic events. In this technique, the therapist guides the person in right/left eye movement and other right/left brain stimulation as he or she recounts the event. Also, the person gets to choose their actions rather than feeling powerless over his or her reactions. The goal is to release blocked emotional experience (memories and distress) as well as successful integration of the event, resulting in symptom relief and healing."

Brainspotting, according to the website http://www.robertweiszphd.com/Brainspotting/ is as follows:

"Brainspotting is a powerful, focused treatment method that works by identifying, processing and releasing core neurophysiological sources of emotional/body pain, trauma, dissociation and a variety of other challenging symptoms. Brainspotting is a simultaneous form of diagnosis and treatment, enhanced with Biolateral sound, which is deep, direct, and powerful yet focused and containing."

I don't quite understand either of these methods just yet, so I can't give much further info on them. Jeanne told me to go to the EMDRIA website; EMDRIA stands for EMDR International Association. For the next four days she is going to attend a course for Brainspotting. She is already trained in EMDR and will be helping me deal with the strength of my emotions when I feel like I have little to no control over a situation. These methods are ultimately going to be treating my PTSD.

Yesterday I saw Dr. K, and he gave me the worksheets to get started on the cognitive therapy exercises he wants me to do. Hopefully all of these forms of therapy will help me feel a little better than I have been.