Step Two Professional Help
  1. Talk with your therapist about the fears and apprehensions connected to remembering the abuse. What are you afraid might happen if you remember it all? What reason might there be for wanting to keep some or all of these memories at bay?
  2. Talk to your therapist about what, if anything, you need in order to fully reclaim these memories: more time, specific assurances or information from your therapist, or modifications to the structure of your sessions that might help you feel safer and more in control. Whatever it might be, you have the right to tailor your therapy to your individual needs.
  3. If you have not been able to remember the specific episodes of abuse after a year or so of therapy, ask your therapist about other techniques to help you reclaim the memories fully. There are a number of techniques that can be used to aid memory retrieval. Some are more effective than others, and some are more effective with certain people and at certain times. All require that your therapist be trained in their use and competent in practicing them. Remember, there may be good reasons for your still not remembering all of your abuse clearly, and both you and your therapist will want to respect this.
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Survivor to Thriver, Page 66
© 2007 THE MORRIS CENTER, Revised 11/06