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Fruedian Exposure Therapy?

arfie
arfie

Ya know, kinda like the infamous Fruedian Slip, except with exposure therapy? I didn't consciously intend to, but here I am.


Been on the road since March. The yaddahs of those blahs are in my journal, if anyone wants background, but my current camp site finds me on Lake Erie, south of Detroit, a central port in the hardest of my teen-age street years. No, I'm not from Michigan. I was moved from the town I was born in at one year old and never sucessfully bonded with any one place, unless you count our Mother Earth as one place. I do. I was 16 the first time I saw Detroit and 19 when I rolled away for the last time. There were quite a few traumas twixt the tweens.


The Great Lakes are my current destination but Detroit's position between Lake Erie and Lake Huron have made it hard to ignore. From here on the southwest corner of Lake Erie, looking toward Lake Huron, it is just about impossible to ignore.


Here in the 21st century, I know no one there, but as I have rolled this direction, I have felt bubbles which could be from my PTSD cauldron. This is my second day in this campsite on Lake Erie. I will be packing camp to head toward Huron the day after tomorrow. This morning finds me wondering if I should be treating the drive along the Detroit River on the way to Lake Huron like exposure therapy.


Thoughts? Reality checks?

Community Leadermujicaptsd
mujicaptsd
arf, you know that reconnecting with my growing up in Latin America has been my exposure therapy. I avoided Latin America by entering into a marriage with someone who tearfully admitted as a fiancee that they didn't enjoy trips to my home haunts in Latin America. Obviously, a marriage whose foundation excluded my own past wasn't built to last. Still, it took 9 years after that marriage's end for me to listen to my therapist and go back to my Latin American home haunts.

Speaking for myself, it's done me worlds of good. Since the first trip back in 2009, I've gone back every year with increasing frequency. This year I'll be going back 4 times--the next time just over 2 weeks from now. No reason, what I once avoided just makes me happy now.

I hope a similar story plays itself out for you with your travels now along the Great Lakes. Don't know if it was Freudian or not, but exposure therapy at the right time in my recovery journey worked for me. Here's hoping it will be healing for you.
patti22
patti22
Parenting has been my "exposure therapy".

My kids were fooling around last night, and something about what they said or did...just tripped me off. Mostly I just go blank. It's remarkable how even my teenagers react to it though. A long half sleepless and half nightmare filled night later...and I'm back on my feet again...

In any case, I wish you luck, peace, healing, and everything else as you decide where next to journey...

Patti
Community LeaderSunCloudJD
SunCloudJD
I don't know the answer Arf but I wanted to give you a big hug.... I think all of the things that you have had to deal with in the last year and all of the hard work you've put in is amazing.... I hope nature can bring you some peace..... Another hug sweetie.....xo
Community LeaderLeo
Leo
This is where books of wisdom I've read say things like, "WHere your feet lead, there is your path, no matter your plan." But...you love waterways. You're on waterways. I will hope peace is your journey.
lilmissy7
lilmissy7
I like how you say you bonded with Mother Earth, that's beautiful to me. I hope you have a good journey & I'll be keeping you in my good thoughts that it ends up to be a healing experience
Much support & hugs
arfie
arfie
I scarcely pulled myself out of the hammock today. Luckily, I didn't need to and just enjoyed strumming and singing along with the little brown bird who spent much of his/her day in the branches of the tree the hammock is tied to. It is a common variety of bird, but I am as bad with bird names as any other kind of name. May not know their names, but I know their tunes. They sing in Aminor.
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