Disclaimer: This entry does not serve as any treatment recommendations. This entry focuses on how I arrive at my choice of treatment. You are encouraged to do your own research and make your own choice. The treatment that I’ve chosen may or may not work most effectively for you because as the saying goes, ‘different person, different stroke’! (:

CBT: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

CPT: Cognitive Processing Therapy

EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

PE: Prolonged Exposure

I remember being introduced to these treatment methodologies when it was time to start addressing my Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms. My first response? “Speak English, woman.” Even after my therapist patiently explained each one, I was still completely lost.

The goal was to make an informed decision—so I asked for some time to do my own research. I dived into everything I could find: research papers, websites, news articles, and personal stories. You’d think I would’ve been ready to choose a treatment by the next session… but nope. I didn’t want to rush into anything with even a single doubt. Like I said, I wanted to make an informed choice.

With more knowledge under my belt, I realised there were still things I didn’t fully understand. So I wrote down all my questions and used the next session to go through them with my therapist. We unpacked each option together, and I finally started to gain some clarity.

With that clarity, I was able to assess each treatment more objectively—taking into account my personal threshold, preferences, comfort level, and readiness. I also considered the goals I wanted to achieve through therapy… and of course, the perspectives of my alters too!

To sum it up, I chose to start with the CPT approach for a few key reasons:

1. I wanted clarity around our (my alters and I) thought patterns and emotional responses, especially the deep-rooted beliefs shaped by past—often traumatic—experiences. CPT gave me a way to go straight to the source and challenge those unhealthy, negative beliefs head-on.
   
2. Prolonged Exposure still scares me. I wasn’t ready to face my triggers in such an intense way, and I didn’t feel confident in my ability to stay grounded during the process. So, at the time, it was an easy “no” for me.
   
3. As for EMDR, I was uncertain. Even though the research around its effectiveness is quite promising, I remained skeptical about how well it would work in my specific case. My situation is complex—my mind has masterfully compartmentalized my experiences and selves in ways that still awe me to this day. I wasn’t convinced EMDR could break through all that. It felt too much like trial and error, and I didn’t start this healing journey to roll the dice. That’s why I passed on EMDR, despite all the hype.
   
   Will I try it eventually? Maybe. Once I’ve unpacked a good chunk of my internal chaos and if it feels right, I might give it a go further down the road.
   
4. I had already gone through the CBT approach during the earlier part of my therapy, when I was learning how to stabilise my dissociative symptoms. At that point, it served its purpose. But as I progressed in my healing journey, I felt it was time to dig deeper—so I chose to move forward with CPT.

As you can probably tell by now, this decision-making process is deeply personal. That’s why it’s so important to really know yourself—and always, always do your homework. If you’re unsure, ask questions, but be mindful about who you’re seeking answers from.

And if you’re wondering whether you’ve made the right choice in starting a particular treatment, I’ll leave you with this: you’ve already done your due diligence. Trust your decision. We don’t always know in the moment whether a decision is “right,” but we can make it right. How? By committing to the process, keeping an open line of communication with your therapist, and regularly checking in on whether the treatment is working for you.

The worst thing we can do for ourselves in our healing journey is walking out on ourselves. You’ve got this! Keep it up!!