Emotional flashback

[Dhuggins41010]

Has anybody else been told that your feelings are not "real" but all stem from your complex PTSD. I have been trying to work on my marriage for 5 years and I just can't do it anymore and my therapist told me those feelings are not real and that I am running from my trauma. My husband is a great guy we are just not comparable. She made me feel so worthless. Like I am not capable of having thoughts or feelings of my own. Everything is a result of complex PTSD. I feel powerless.

[Dee]

I have not had that exact issue.  I do know my therapist sometimes is more in touch with my feelings than I am.  When I first saw her I was still married and she asked if I loved him.  I told her I didn't know.  She said that she doesn't know if I ever did, but she can tell me that I don't.  I truly didn't know.  It was what I needed to go forward with a separation and divorce.  I am capable of having feelings, I just can't identify them at times.

Other than this issue how do you feel about your therapist?  Do you feel like she understands you?  Do you have a connection?  I think that is important to explore.  I think my therapist understands me more than I understand myself.  Yet, if my previous psychiatrist had said the same thing to me, I would of dismissed it because she didn't get me.

[Three Roses]

Welcome to the forum, Dhuggins41010!

I have been told, not necessarily that my feelings weren't real, but that there were underlying issues obscuring my view of them, of which I was not aware. Sometimes this has been true and has led me to a greater understanding of my true feelings that were covered by an outdated coping skill I was using.

Sometimes, I've had people tell me things that were so blatantly untrue it was almost laughable.

In either case our feelings can be a tricky landscape to navigate without a trusted guide. Only you are capable of saying if your therapist is correct or not, or if she is a good "fit" for you.

Your sense of personal empowerment is crucial to your recovery, in my opinion. And no matter where your feelings are coming from or what they're triggered by, it doesn't change the fact that your feelings are real no matter what they are. 

In any case, we welcome you to the forum and thank you for adding your voice to ours! I look forward to hearing more from you.