Talk therapy?

[Style]

How effective is talk therapy compared to EMDR, Somatic and other forms of therapy? Has anyone succesfully recovered from talk therapy alone? I ask because I really like my therapist (after bad experiences with previous ones), but I have this nagging fear that I might be able to recover at a much more significant rate with therapies centered on trauma.

[Kizzie]

Good question Style and not one I think anyone here can answer (not being professionals).  I would imagine even the professionals can't quite answer objectively given they are invested in one type or another. That said, you might actually want to ask your T and if s/he is good as you say, then likely you'll be able to have some discussion and from that get some info to go about answering your question.

[woodsgnome]

Couple things stand out for me regarding this. To begin with, I was always skeptical of what therapy could really accomplish and resisted it for many years. I was just as obsessed with finding a cure, just preferred my do-it-yourself seeking which involved tons of reading, workshops, programs, alternative 'spiritual' systems, etc. Until I deigned to see a therapist for her 'spiritual' guidance and she immediately saw through to what was really going on with me--a massive avoidance/denial/camouflage preventing my even getting close to the inside hurt that still tore up my psyche.

Alright, that therapist left the area; I saw many others and didn't find much effectiveness with any of them. This included EMDR and other approaches, but they either didn't work, were done haphazardly, or perhaps I resisted them, too (hypervigilance and inability to trust huge factors there).

Now I'm working with another therapist who seems well-versed in talk based on fleshing out the trauma. For the first time in a long while, the approach feels like one I can finally trust.  She uses other modes, including EMDR--but we're starting with talk, kind of in line with Walker's opinion (she's reading his book) that the talk method at least helps root out the core and establishes a framework before considering  other approaches.

Of course, I still have a secret wish to find the magic door where all will be well. My takeaway from all this is that therapies and therapists are all over the map and there is no ultimate one-size-fits-all method or we wouldn't be wandering around so lost for so long. I consider my recovery an ongoing process--parts seem better than before; but I'd be pleasantly surprised to suddenly hit upon that 'perfect' answer.

Often I find myself on the edge of despair, though. I wonder why I even try anymore but maybe that's actually the key--to clear away grand expectations while remaining curious (and hopeful). Without that sense of mystery to balance the frustration it truly does seem hopeless.

Best to you, Style, as you journey along the path of recovery.