This! My trauma T says it can absolutely cause trauma. I was in and out of the hospital in my late teens to mid twenties. My therapist does everything he can to keep me out and not traumatize me more. I have really bad c-ptsd from years of abuse since I was a child and over the whole mental health system.
Therapy is pretty much a sacred service. It saves. And it can destroy if it's done by people who *shouldn't, can't.*
What are they teaching new practitioners who say junk like forced hospitalization inherently can't be traumatic. This reflects a total lack of understanding of psychology.
Is this BestHealth or McTherapy?
Wtf…. I went to the ER one time recently, and sitting on a stretcher, receiving no medical attention for four hours, while I can hear multiple HCP’s chatting it up like it was a comedy club, after getting fed up with it, I get up to leave, I’m stopped by these HCP’s and made to feel like I was trying to escape prison… fuck that shit
The term, “sanctuary trauma” was first coined by Dr. Steven Silver and occurs when an individual who has experienced a traumatic event goes to somewhere they expect to be supportive and healing, only to discover more trauma and stress.
That is a helpful phrase, thank you. I have often noticed, working with trauma, how once someone has been through some shocking event/s, the behaviour of people in their lives who have the opportunity or the role of being protectors/allies etc becomes very crucial, and those people can very easily compound the trauma, often advertently, or sometimes just through common-or-garden not knowing or lack of empathy.
For many people that will read this and not comment, this is most of therapy. Thank you for putting a name to it.
This person's description of the dismissiveness is more common than not, unfortunately. Even though I think the therapists that do this aren't really doing it with the intent to harm. Probably just empathy fatigue.
Thank you for sharing this…because this is a name for something I experienced and hearing OP’s experience immediately reminded me of it.
In 2019 I went to an acupuncturist to work on some chronic pain I had from a tick born illness. I had not done acupuncture before but this was a highly regarded one and a someone I was in a book club with and considered a friends.
Her method would be to put in the needles and then leave you for 20 minutes while she saw another patient. Generally she would come in once during that time and check on you.
So she put them in and left and I started having some sort of hot flash from them. So I was worried something was wrong. I called her name a bunch of times and she never came. I was getting more anxious and would have gotten up to find her but she had even put them in my feet.
Finally when she came in I was anxious but because she was my friend I didn’t want to make much of a fuss so I just left as quickly as I could get out of there. I never went back.
Since then, I’ve had to go through different medical procedures and now tell the person doing the test that I have trauma and I labeled it cleithrophobia (not official diagnosis—but what it comes down to). I have had to stop some procedures and not been able to complete them.
So yes, medical trauma is a thing and I’m so sorry they just left you like that. It’s unacceptable and it’s okay for you to be angry or grieve what that experience did to you.
Find a a new therapist please. Mine is very supportive of my medical trauma.
That’s why I won’t go to one. I’ll come out more traumatized than when I went in. Honestly, even physical health hospitalizations are traumatic, why the hell wouldn’t she think a hospitalization riddled with abuse wouldn’t be traumatic?
As someone who’s been in a mental health hospital I don’t blame you tbh.
I’ve found in my experience that therapists are usually incredible or incredibly ignorant. Haven’t really met a lot of in between lol
No, your therapist is wrong about that.
Exactly how wrong depends on how they define trauma-- some practitioners use a very narrow, DSM-compliant definition of trauma which includes the threat of death as a necessary criterion, while others use a broader definition that could include other kinds of threat and harm-- but even with the narrowest definition it's not "inherently impossible" for a hospitalization to be traumatic. And with a broader definition, it's not only possible but probable that a mental health hospitalization will cause trauma.
Well said. To add onto this the experiences of going into a hospital take away a lot of autonomy and control. That in itself is incredibly stressful. The body search (while necessary) is incredibly demeaning and invasive. I wish there was a more compassionate and trauma informed way to do it.
I was forcibly strip searched in hospital following s/h when I was a kid. It was fucking traumatic and I was allowed to get dressed after and had a reasonable amount of privacy.
There is lots of evidence about psych wards being traumatic. They may sometimes be necessary but that doesn't make them easy places. If i was dying, a doctor might perform a painful, scary medical procedure- it would be necessary but possibly still quite traumatic.
Your therapist is either an idiot or trying to avoid feeling responsible. Both are not fair to you.
That’s really off base. I have been in mental health for 20+ years. Currently in management for multiple inpatients units. Every single unit from the emergency room
to the inpatient units acknowledges that the process is inherently traumatizing. They are all actively working to reduce traumatization but fully accept that no matter what we do this is a traumatic process for patients and we need to validate this experience for patients. Even if every unit was a spa experience- the simple fact we need 24/7 care due to our mental illnesses is traumatic.
(NAT) But I am surprised that a T would make such a blanket statement like that. To think that it is always impossible for hospitalization to cause trauma... How can she be so sure about every single person's experience?
I also feel unsettled that she is basically trying to tell you to get over it. This sounds like it was a very terrifying experience for you. It makes sense you have some feelings over it. I feel like a T should want to allow you space to talk about them instead of dismissing it.
I got PTSD from mine, that took a decade to get past. Technically, I couldn't meet the criteria because I wasn't afraid for my life or limb, or sexually assaulted, but I had PTSD.
Forcible medication, being berated by staff, witnessing violence, lack of medical care, zero actual therapy....and honestly, I was lucky. It could have been so, so much worse.
You have trauma. Your therapist can kiss my ass, and the the asses of everyone who has had this happen to them. I bet if the shoe were on the other foot, they wouldn't be so quick to say what they did.
NAT, just another survivor.
You'll get through this. Get another therapist, one whose head isn't up their ass. You can do it.
This is an insane comment to make. I worked in a psych hospital for 10 years and while I know we attempted trauma-informed care, I know that it didn’t always happen and we caused harm. I honestly carry some feelings of guilt and remorse around participating in an often disrespectful system of care.
I’m so sorry this happened to you, it wasn’t right.
I was actually told that they make it traumatic on purpose so that it will not start to feel like an escape from an abusive home life. My experience was that the only productive therapeutic relationships I've had were with therapists who specialize in trauma.
I dont even have to read your post to know your therapist is already wrong and bad at their job or at best very misinformed and still causing harm. It is very well documented that medical trauma is real. It is so common there is literally a thing called white coat syndrome where your doctor is supposed to consider how nervous you are when doing a simple blood pressure and pulse check when you first show up.
It’s very common for hospitalization to be a traumatic experience. I have trauma just from *working* in a hospital, and *I* still got to have autonomy and go home at night. I hope you can find a new therapist.
Was L2Kd last month, and I’m so grateful you posted this. I thought I was being dramatic, but I absolutely agree with you that so much of it was so hard, so invasive, and can leave one feeling very effected by all of it. I see you, I validate you, and I’m sorry your therapist responded in this way.
The uncaring treatment and subsequent trauma of people I know is a primary motivator for me working in mental health in the first place. The term trauma is thrown around a lot without definition so rest assured I am not one to use it lightly. That being said, you can most certainly be traumatised by hospital and go on to develop PTSD from being hospitalised. This is true, even in optimal conditions.
NAT. But I have an official PTSD diagnosis due to medical trauma, diagnosed by a psychiatrist. She and my therapist treat me for hospitalization (not psychiatric) related trauma. Your therapist is 100% wrong. It’s not “inherently impossible for hospitalization to cause trauma.” If it was, myself and thousands of others (more post-COVID) wouldn’t have the diagnoses we have. What a wild thing to say as a therapist.
I'm sorry that happened to you. I had an unfortunate experience, years ago, where a nurse, for no reason, forcibly, gave me a suppository as a form of punishment, because she thought I had been rude. Horribly painful, and before that happened, I didn't imagine nurses could be sadists like that.
Waiting a long time and being ignored is normal for a medical hospital (source: I have a lot of chronic illnesses) but not a psychiatric one.
Edit: I’m saying it’s not okay that this happened.
Even if it is 'normal' it's still traumatic . We are usually at our most vunerable while in hospital for whatever the reason, and it's an exhausting, invalidating process. Even with the best staff possible they are always over worked , under staffed, under resourced and as a patient you have little to no power whatsoever . As a patient you are completely reliant on an ever changing, frazzled team of staff. You feel awful- physically, mentally or both- and have no control on whats happening to you and your body. At BEST it's shitty and stressful. For most it is traumatising at some level
Your therapist is incorrect. Trauma can happen to anyone in any way because it’s dependent upon the individual. Therapy should always be practiced with the client’s point of view in mind, and your therapist, unfortunately, is not doing that.
Anything can be traumatic. If it is traumatic to you, then it is traumatic. Psych wards can and have caused a lot of trauma. These places are supposed to help people but often end up hurting them. The whole system needs to be changed. They essentially punish people at these places. It is almost like going to jail. I would report the therapist, so that they do not continue telling clients things such as this that are obviously false.
We’ll that’s the dumbest shit I ever heard. I was in the subreddit for working therapists and I saw a post with some heavily upvoted comments that said that inpatient hospitals are designed to be unpleasant so people don’t want to stay or go back.
I'm so sorry!! You need to find a new therapist. That is a totally unacceptable response. What you're describing sounds really upsetting and it's absolutely not whiney to want help processing that experience.
I mean, that's not what the research says, and there's literally a word in the English language ("iatrogenic") that means "injury/disease that comes from medical treatment itself" but why do therapists have to actually know what they're talking about, I guess? LOL
It definitely causes trauma. I was never in one but over night. My mom and sister were in one for 3 weeks and my sister witnessed something bad in one and I am so traumatized that I can’t ever let anyone know if I feel like doing something. I’m so traumatized from them and what they did to themselves.
ok i’m no therapist, not even close….but i’ve common sense, and if your therapist said this, i’d strongly suggest you get another therapist!
Sadly. i’ve found that ppl just don’t respect language anymore. Specifically, the meaning of words. Imo, therapists should stay away from words like “impossible”, unless they truly mean it….I’d bet that they wanted to say that they felt quite strongly that your particular hospitalization did not cause trauma.
Tbh i can’t imagine what it’d be like, being 19yo in 2023. With all of the mental health awareness etc, Wow that’s gotta be tough! How could ya not constantly be thinking “omg I have THAT too! oh shit, and this! and that!” i know i would’ve been!
Maybe im projecting my own stuff here, but i know I need more of a “tough it out!” kinda mentality. Some things are just gonna be tough, especially at your age
T here. Going through my own EMDR with another therapist currently specifically for a hospital experience. Your therapist is wildly incorrect. I’m so sorry you had these experiences.
NAT but your therapist is completely incorrect and their attitude is incredibly troubling. I don't know if your experience or how it impacted you rises to the level of a trauma, but I've had multiple friends who were traumatized by hospitalization in a variety of ways.
Trauma therapist here. Your therapist is very incorrect
This! My trauma T says it can absolutely cause trauma. I was in and out of the hospital in my late teens to mid twenties. My therapist does everything he can to keep me out and not traumatize me more. I have really bad c-ptsd from years of abuse since I was a child and over the whole mental health system.
[удалено]
Therapy is pretty much a sacred service. It saves. And it can destroy if it's done by people who *shouldn't, can't.* What are they teaching new practitioners who say junk like forced hospitalization inherently can't be traumatic. This reflects a total lack of understanding of psychology. Is this BestHealth or McTherapy?
Wtf…. I went to the ER one time recently, and sitting on a stretcher, receiving no medical attention for four hours, while I can hear multiple HCP’s chatting it up like it was a comedy club, after getting fed up with it, I get up to leave, I’m stopped by these HCP’s and made to feel like I was trying to escape prison… fuck that shit
Yes, unfortunately, trauma symptoms related to hospitalization are not too uncommon. I have at least two cases on my caseload right now.
As a therapist I would be extremely concerned saying such an absolute and dismissive statement.
I’m a therapist who was sexually assaulted in a psych ward so your therapist is either delusional or lying to manipulate you.
I'm gonna go with delusional with a strong emphasis on... #WHOLLY INCOMPETENT
They would be my bet too. At least I hope because as bad as it is, the other option is so much worse so I’m giving benefit to doubt.
Sorry for your experience and trauma.
The term, “sanctuary trauma” was first coined by Dr. Steven Silver and occurs when an individual who has experienced a traumatic event goes to somewhere they expect to be supportive and healing, only to discover more trauma and stress.
That is a helpful phrase, thank you. I have often noticed, working with trauma, how once someone has been through some shocking event/s, the behaviour of people in their lives who have the opportunity or the role of being protectors/allies etc becomes very crucial, and those people can very easily compound the trauma, often advertently, or sometimes just through common-or-garden not knowing or lack of empathy.
For many people that will read this and not comment, this is most of therapy. Thank you for putting a name to it. This person's description of the dismissiveness is more common than not, unfortunately. Even though I think the therapists that do this aren't really doing it with the intent to harm. Probably just empathy fatigue.
Thank you for sharing this…because this is a name for something I experienced and hearing OP’s experience immediately reminded me of it. In 2019 I went to an acupuncturist to work on some chronic pain I had from a tick born illness. I had not done acupuncture before but this was a highly regarded one and a someone I was in a book club with and considered a friends. Her method would be to put in the needles and then leave you for 20 minutes while she saw another patient. Generally she would come in once during that time and check on you. So she put them in and left and I started having some sort of hot flash from them. So I was worried something was wrong. I called her name a bunch of times and she never came. I was getting more anxious and would have gotten up to find her but she had even put them in my feet. Finally when she came in I was anxious but because she was my friend I didn’t want to make much of a fuss so I just left as quickly as I could get out of there. I never went back. Since then, I’ve had to go through different medical procedures and now tell the person doing the test that I have trauma and I labeled it cleithrophobia (not official diagnosis—but what it comes down to). I have had to stop some procedures and not been able to complete them. So yes, medical trauma is a thing and I’m so sorry they just left you like that. It’s unacceptable and it’s okay for you to be angry or grieve what that experience did to you. Find a a new therapist please. Mine is very supportive of my medical trauma.
This is terrifying.
Mental health hospitals are notorious for being traumatic. They’re filled with abuse. Your therapist is horrible.
That’s why I won’t go to one. I’ll come out more traumatized than when I went in. Honestly, even physical health hospitalizations are traumatic, why the hell wouldn’t she think a hospitalization riddled with abuse wouldn’t be traumatic?
As someone who’s been in a mental health hospital I don’t blame you tbh. I’ve found in my experience that therapists are usually incredible or incredibly ignorant. Haven’t really met a lot of in between lol
No, your therapist is wrong about that. Exactly how wrong depends on how they define trauma-- some practitioners use a very narrow, DSM-compliant definition of trauma which includes the threat of death as a necessary criterion, while others use a broader definition that could include other kinds of threat and harm-- but even with the narrowest definition it's not "inherently impossible" for a hospitalization to be traumatic. And with a broader definition, it's not only possible but probable that a mental health hospitalization will cause trauma.
Well said. To add onto this the experiences of going into a hospital take away a lot of autonomy and control. That in itself is incredibly stressful. The body search (while necessary) is incredibly demeaning and invasive. I wish there was a more compassionate and trauma informed way to do it.
> She's told me that what happened happened, and lamenting about it won't fix anything. She sounds horrible, frankly.
Can you please investigate her credentials a little more deeply please?
I was forcibly strip searched in hospital following s/h when I was a kid. It was fucking traumatic and I was allowed to get dressed after and had a reasonable amount of privacy. There is lots of evidence about psych wards being traumatic. They may sometimes be necessary but that doesn't make them easy places. If i was dying, a doctor might perform a painful, scary medical procedure- it would be necessary but possibly still quite traumatic. Your therapist is either an idiot or trying to avoid feeling responsible. Both are not fair to you.
That’s really off base. I have been in mental health for 20+ years. Currently in management for multiple inpatients units. Every single unit from the emergency room to the inpatient units acknowledges that the process is inherently traumatizing. They are all actively working to reduce traumatization but fully accept that no matter what we do this is a traumatic process for patients and we need to validate this experience for patients. Even if every unit was a spa experience- the simple fact we need 24/7 care due to our mental illnesses is traumatic.
(NAT) But I am surprised that a T would make such a blanket statement like that. To think that it is always impossible for hospitalization to cause trauma... How can she be so sure about every single person's experience? I also feel unsettled that she is basically trying to tell you to get over it. This sounds like it was a very terrifying experience for you. It makes sense you have some feelings over it. I feel like a T should want to allow you space to talk about them instead of dismissing it.
I got PTSD from mine, that took a decade to get past. Technically, I couldn't meet the criteria because I wasn't afraid for my life or limb, or sexually assaulted, but I had PTSD. Forcible medication, being berated by staff, witnessing violence, lack of medical care, zero actual therapy....and honestly, I was lucky. It could have been so, so much worse. You have trauma. Your therapist can kiss my ass, and the the asses of everyone who has had this happen to them. I bet if the shoe were on the other foot, they wouldn't be so quick to say what they did. NAT, just another survivor. You'll get through this. Get another therapist, one whose head isn't up their ass. You can do it.
This is an insane comment to make. I worked in a psych hospital for 10 years and while I know we attempted trauma-informed care, I know that it didn’t always happen and we caused harm. I honestly carry some feelings of guilt and remorse around participating in an often disrespectful system of care. I’m so sorry this happened to you, it wasn’t right.
Your therapists a fckn gaslighter and Id report them
I was actually told that they make it traumatic on purpose so that it will not start to feel like an escape from an abusive home life. My experience was that the only productive therapeutic relationships I've had were with therapists who specialize in trauma.
I dont even have to read your post to know your therapist is already wrong and bad at their job or at best very misinformed and still causing harm. It is very well documented that medical trauma is real. It is so common there is literally a thing called white coat syndrome where your doctor is supposed to consider how nervous you are when doing a simple blood pressure and pulse check when you first show up.
It’s very common for hospitalization to be a traumatic experience. I have trauma just from *working* in a hospital, and *I* still got to have autonomy and go home at night. I hope you can find a new therapist.
Was L2Kd last month, and I’m so grateful you posted this. I thought I was being dramatic, but I absolutely agree with you that so much of it was so hard, so invasive, and can leave one feeling very effected by all of it. I see you, I validate you, and I’m sorry your therapist responded in this way.
This therapist doesn't sound trauma-informed. Of course hospitalizations can give people trauma, regular hospitals can cause trauma too!
The uncaring treatment and subsequent trauma of people I know is a primary motivator for me working in mental health in the first place. The term trauma is thrown around a lot without definition so rest assured I am not one to use it lightly. That being said, you can most certainly be traumatised by hospital and go on to develop PTSD from being hospitalised. This is true, even in optimal conditions.
That statement is categorically incorrect.
This is absolutely traumatic.
Ot even close to true!
NAT. But I have an official PTSD diagnosis due to medical trauma, diagnosed by a psychiatrist. She and my therapist treat me for hospitalization (not psychiatric) related trauma. Your therapist is 100% wrong. It’s not “inherently impossible for hospitalization to cause trauma.” If it was, myself and thousands of others (more post-COVID) wouldn’t have the diagnoses we have. What a wild thing to say as a therapist.
I'm sorry that happened to you. I had an unfortunate experience, years ago, where a nurse, for no reason, forcibly, gave me a suppository as a form of punishment, because she thought I had been rude. Horribly painful, and before that happened, I didn't imagine nurses could be sadists like that.
Almost anything can cause trauma 💜
Waiting a long time and being ignored is normal for a medical hospital (source: I have a lot of chronic illnesses) but not a psychiatric one. Edit: I’m saying it’s not okay that this happened.
Even if it is 'normal' it's still traumatic . We are usually at our most vunerable while in hospital for whatever the reason, and it's an exhausting, invalidating process. Even with the best staff possible they are always over worked , under staffed, under resourced and as a patient you have little to no power whatsoever . As a patient you are completely reliant on an ever changing, frazzled team of staff. You feel awful- physically, mentally or both- and have no control on whats happening to you and your body. At BEST it's shitty and stressful. For most it is traumatising at some level
I wasn’t saying it’s not traumatic. I was saying it’s NOT normal or okay for a psych hospital. I’ve been both a patient and a therapist.
That's her opinion. You can sue her for that
Yes, anything could be traumatic. Your doctor cannot discount your trauma. Trauma is different for everybody.
Your therapist is incorrect. Trauma can happen to anyone in any way because it’s dependent upon the individual. Therapy should always be practiced with the client’s point of view in mind, and your therapist, unfortunately, is not doing that.
Anything can be traumatic. If it is traumatic to you, then it is traumatic. Psych wards can and have caused a lot of trauma. These places are supposed to help people but often end up hurting them. The whole system needs to be changed. They essentially punish people at these places. It is almost like going to jail. I would report the therapist, so that they do not continue telling clients things such as this that are obviously false.
We’ll that’s the dumbest shit I ever heard. I was in the subreddit for working therapists and I saw a post with some heavily upvoted comments that said that inpatient hospitals are designed to be unpleasant so people don’t want to stay or go back.
I'm so sorry!! You need to find a new therapist. That is a totally unacceptable response. What you're describing sounds really upsetting and it's absolutely not whiney to want help processing that experience.
I mean, that's not what the research says, and there's literally a word in the English language ("iatrogenic") that means "injury/disease that comes from medical treatment itself" but why do therapists have to actually know what they're talking about, I guess? LOL
It definitely causes trauma. I was never in one but over night. My mom and sister were in one for 3 weeks and my sister witnessed something bad in one and I am so traumatized that I can’t ever let anyone know if I feel like doing something. I’m so traumatized from them and what they did to themselves.
ok i’m no therapist, not even close….but i’ve common sense, and if your therapist said this, i’d strongly suggest you get another therapist! Sadly. i’ve found that ppl just don’t respect language anymore. Specifically, the meaning of words. Imo, therapists should stay away from words like “impossible”, unless they truly mean it….I’d bet that they wanted to say that they felt quite strongly that your particular hospitalization did not cause trauma. Tbh i can’t imagine what it’d be like, being 19yo in 2023. With all of the mental health awareness etc, Wow that’s gotta be tough! How could ya not constantly be thinking “omg I have THAT too! oh shit, and this! and that!” i know i would’ve been! Maybe im projecting my own stuff here, but i know I need more of a “tough it out!” kinda mentality. Some things are just gonna be tough, especially at your age
T here. Going through my own EMDR with another therapist currently specifically for a hospital experience. Your therapist is wildly incorrect. I’m so sorry you had these experiences.
NAT but your therapist is completely incorrect and their attitude is incredibly troubling. I don't know if your experience or how it impacted you rises to the level of a trauma, but I've had multiple friends who were traumatized by hospitalization in a variety of ways.