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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by TherapyGirl on April 12, 2011, at 19:20:59
So this has never happened to me before. This was session 4, maybe, with T3. She pushes me harder than rebound T and the sessions are hard. At one point today, when we were talking about, what else, my father's death and my grief, my back started burning like it was a heating pad. Not enough to cause pain, but this huge circle of heat all along my back -- just my back. She found that interesting and followed it up with a question about my anger towards my dad, which I really do not feel. So I think she thought it was anger. That doesn't feel right to me, but I don't know what in the h*ll to think about it.
Ideas?
Posted by Daisym on April 12, 2011, at 23:01:51
In reply to Burning in therapy?, posted by TherapyGirl on April 12, 2011, at 19:20:59
Somatic responses often come from unconscious conflicts. Think of it as referred pain from the psyche.
When I'm working on "mother stuff" my chest hurts like heck.
One of the technics from somatic therapist is to really focus in on the sensation and see what comes up in your mind. They might seem disconnected but if happens more than once, you should explore the link. Often, body pain comes from the tension we create when talking about really hard subjects. Burning in the back muscles may be from how you were holding yourself, your breath or your posture on the couch. It could also be a distractive defense against some powerful emotions.
I might try journaling about the sensation - try to describe it in minute detail and just see what comes out on paper about it.
Posted by TherapyGirl on April 13, 2011, at 21:21:59
In reply to Re: Burning in therapy?, posted by Daisym on April 12, 2011, at 23:01:51
Thanks so much, Daisy. Interestingly, I don't remember specifically what we were talking about when it happened, but the part you wrote about it being a distractive defense against powerful emotions really resonates with me.
I will definitely do some writing and am also planning to discuss it some more next week. I really appreciate your insight into this.
Posted by pegasus on April 14, 2011, at 12:54:09
In reply to Burning in therapy?, posted by TherapyGirl on April 12, 2011, at 19:20:59
Hi TG,
It reminds me, also, of some of the stories I've heard about the Somatic Experiencing approach to trauma therapy. This is Peter Levine's approach. Specifically, he talks about activating and moving the energy stored in our body from unresolved traumas. The energy gets stored from non-completed defensive actions that we were unable to take at the time of the trauma, for whatever reason.
Sometimes, in his stories, when people start touching on something traumatic, they'll notice physical sensations, like what you describe (and sometimes more like trembling, or jerking movements, etc.). In SE, a T might interpret it as possibly the beginnings of mobilizing some somatic aspect of that experience, via the body's natural tendency to resolve trauma however it needs to. So, if that's what it is, it could be a very good thing.
I wonder if you were talking about anything traumatic, even just lightly touching on it? And do you associate any past experiences with that part of your back? Have you had injuries, or surgeries there?
Or maybe it's something completely different. I'm only just starting to learn about SE, so I may be misapplying it here.
- P
Posted by TherapyGirl on April 15, 2011, at 16:19:22
In reply to Re: Burning in therapy?, posted by pegasus on April 14, 2011, at 12:54:09
I clearly need to do some more research. This certainly sounds like a possibility. Honestly, I don't remember what we were discussing right as this happened, but I emailed T3 and asked her to make a note of it for next week if she remembered and she emailed back that she had. I have a herniated disc lower in my back, but this was more in the middle. I'll have to think about whether I can associate it with anything else.
Thanks for the ideas!
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