Fortunately, there are some ways to cope with the time between therapy sessions and make your life a little easier. Keeping a journal, talking to a trusted friend or family member, replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, and doing some form of exercise or body movement are all effective practices that can help you process your thoughts and feelings between therapy sessions. Additionally, it is important to be kind to yourself and let your therapist know if you are having difficulty between sessions so that they can provide suggestions for what you can do. Your therapist may also assign tasks or duties at the end of the session to help you continue to integrate what you mentioned.
Lastly, if things become too unbearable for you, it is important to immediately reach out for help. Journaling is an effective practice that allows you to identify patterns, explore your feelings, and keep track of what's going on in your life. You can keep track of your symptoms, monitor your mood, and write down anything that worries you in your diary. You may even find it helpful to keep a diary to identify specific triggers. Replacing negative thoughts with positive ones is also an important step in managing between therapy sessions. I believe and have the experience that, whether practicing yoga or some other form of exercise, moving the body has significant benefits and improves the healing of trauma.
The exercise or body movement you choose doesn't have to require a great deal of time or money. Some people say that simply walking and stretching has positive benefits in their ability to cope between sessions. People often say that doing some type of exercise or body movement also helps them gain self-esteem and improve their ability to calm down and take care of themselves. Talking to a trusted friend or family member is another way to process your thoughts between therapy sessions. You can talk about what you're doing between sessions, about new coping skills you've learned, or even just share things that your therapists have said to you that you found useful.
I use what my therapist and I discussed during the session and apply it to life outside of healing, and much of my progress has been made on my own. You can also keep cards around about topics you discussed with your therapist, affirmation cards, or even letters from therapeutic skill decks that you sell online. Be proud of the progress you're making and share them with your therapist at your next appointments. Even when a person regularly sees a therapist, trauma treatment doesn't stop because the therapy session is over. Instead of fixing a relationship for which there was no solution, I found all kinds of tools and skills over the next 5 years with the help of the therapist.
