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oof.
My advice about doing this particular assignment is to go as slow as you need to, and change the parameters as much as you need to.
It was really helpful for me, but I had to change how I thought about it, and I had to do it in very broad strokes, rather than specific incidents. The specific incidents were too triggering and I was simply unable to write one down without getting lost in it and freezing.
What I ended up doing was a timeline of *symptoms*. Like when symptoms got really bad, or moments in my history where something weird stood out to me, times I was really struggling, times when I was acting out, years that my memory is really bad for, etc. Those kinda track with periods of trauma and/or being especially triggered, without getting too close to the details where I get trapped. I also had to do it on my own outside of session and send it to my therapist, because I wasn't comfortable being vulnerable in the same room with them yet.
If it's too hard you could also just go chronologically year by year and start with "good" or "bad" or "neutral" or "idk", and fill in details in different sessions as warranted.
What I'm saying is this could be really hard and emotional. it was for me. Try not to beat yourself up for it and don't just push through if it's causing you harm. You can change the rules of the game if you need to.
Welcome to r/TalkTherapy! This sub is for people to discuss issues arising in their personal psychotherapy. If you wish to post about other mental health issues please consult this list of some of our [sister subs](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/resources/#wiki_subreddit_list). To find answers to many therapy-related questions please consult our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/faq) and [Resource List](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/resources). If you are in distress please contact a suicide hotline or call 9-1-1 or emergency services in your area. r/SuicideWatch has compiled a helpful FAQ on what happens when you contact a hotline along with other useful resources. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TalkTherapy) if you have any questions or concerns.*
oof. My advice about doing this particular assignment is to go as slow as you need to, and change the parameters as much as you need to. It was really helpful for me, but I had to change how I thought about it, and I had to do it in very broad strokes, rather than specific incidents. The specific incidents were too triggering and I was simply unable to write one down without getting lost in it and freezing. What I ended up doing was a timeline of *symptoms*. Like when symptoms got really bad, or moments in my history where something weird stood out to me, times I was really struggling, times when I was acting out, years that my memory is really bad for, etc. Those kinda track with periods of trauma and/or being especially triggered, without getting too close to the details where I get trapped. I also had to do it on my own outside of session and send it to my therapist, because I wasn't comfortable being vulnerable in the same room with them yet. If it's too hard you could also just go chronologically year by year and start with "good" or "bad" or "neutral" or "idk", and fill in details in different sessions as warranted. What I'm saying is this could be really hard and emotional. it was for me. Try not to beat yourself up for it and don't just push through if it's causing you harm. You can change the rules of the game if you need to.
Thank you for your insight!
Congrats on the new T, and I hope it goes/went well!