Seeking Therapist Help

Daily Life, Swiss News and General Topics
1
End of April 2020 I was involuntarily involved into rather light

traffic accident on a roundabout In Basel whereby I was

ridding my mountainbyke being hit by a very bad driver

who later on escaped then in aftermath caught by Basler

Police a deadly accident avoided only thanks my good instinct .

I've experienced light injuries but the bad part of it is that since

then I have sleeping disorders related to that episode and

everytime I drive my car or I walk in public I experience unknown

fears of accidents either caused by me or by the other especially

because my brain keep analysing in depth the scenario of such

accidents in advance . I work in Aviation industry , never had

a traffic or flying accident . In Basel is very hard to find good

therapists most of whom seems to have own mental issues or

simply profit oriented , any recommandation will be appreciated

2
Just the other day, a therapist posted here on the EF that she or he is looking for clients to practice regression therapy (to gain the experience she needs for a certain certification). I *think* regression therapy involves getting over past traumatizing events. I'll post the link here in case it might be of interest to you...

https://www.englishforum.ch/commerci...py-zurich.html

3
Thank you very much for your reply. In my search for a therapist in Basel and Zurich I came to conclussion that numerous people are not what they claim to be , are highly misleding even on purpose to defraud the patient , these were men and women who either live or don't live in Switzerland and Psychiatrists who are keen to pump you with dangerous medications for no specific reason and agravate the illness in the name of their own profit . I saw the link of that Indian lady and unfortunately is not the right thing for me . thanks again

4
I'm afraid good therapists can cost money, I don't know of many who do it for charity. Is it possible that your risk aversion is keeping you away from potential therapists?

5
If you can do therapy in English, then I can recommend an Australian website called 'Beyond Blue'.

The mainstream and up to date therapy is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

Finding the right therapist can be difficult. And even if you find one that works for you over time, maybe after a couple of years you might find that you need someone else...

You can do an anxiety and depression checklist here: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-fa...-checklist-k10

'Gold standard' treatment is usually a combination of medication and talking therapty of some sort. Some people prefer one way, or the other, or different ways over time...

More info here about the different 'talking therapies'... https://healthyfamilies.beyondblue.o...cal-treatments

6
Were you offered victim counselling as a victim of crime ? It may be that you can claim this via accident insurance. Was the accident reported to your accident insurance ?

Because it is very immediate, close to the event, then talkting to someone about your experience and symptoms can help and may resolve it completely.

Maybe somewhere like this - very mainstream, and funded by the university... https://psychologie.unibas.ch/en/fac...ish/team-1946/

If you speak to your local doctor, they may refer you via your accident insurance, if it is considered directly related to the accident.

By the way, what you experiencing is quite normal - hyper-vigilance, the 'what ifs', hyper-alertness and affect on sleep. It can become a vicious cycle as overtiredness may make you more 'edgy'.

There are lots of other health things you can do - physical exercise like swimming or running, plenty of sunshine and fresh air, creative activities, sport, etc. A lot of these things are harder to access because of the lockdown - so we need to be a bit more creative...

7
It sounds as though you may be struggling with PTSD. A family relative was attacked and almost killed and suffered greatly. See if you can find a PTSD therapist who specializes in exposure therapy. It really helped my relative! Also, as Swiss Pea mentioned, CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) has really helped as well.

Best of luck to you! Finding a good therapist is not easy... Hope you find someone who can help/assist

8
Thanks again for the feedback. I think my initial post was

misunderstood lacking sufficient details , therefore I expand :

I don't suffer of any PTSD , anxiety disorder , depressions,

seeking cognitive CBT, regressive treatment or anything

else you have mentioned because do not apply. My sleeping

disorder are not so severe as they sound but simply not good.

I don't experience any anxiety going out driving my car my bike

or when walking out on the street or you name it .I don't run away

from my fears and my excellent driving skills are not affected by any

type of fears .

My problem is that every time before I go out driving or

walking my brain analyzing in depth all kind of accident

scenarios and outcomes which making me uncomfortable

and sometimes while driving my subconscious brain sending

some sort of burst of "what if scenarios " which again making me

feel uncomfortable. With adequate time on the road and outside

walking this feeling is reduced to none but then time again

weeks later come again .

Police report was filed , the fleeing driver was located

and my lawyer applied for "Opfer Hilfe " financial support

because the insurance of the other party refusing to assume

any costs until the investigation was completed .

I don't look for charity or free of charge treatment but for a

professional therapist to discuss my problems . As of now

there no such therapists in Basel but people who are there

just for profit purposes, people who are totally incompetent

booked out psychiatrists who refer you elsewhere all in one

people who can only make my situation worse than better .

Its seems to me I have to give up any hopes for help than

put my life in hands of wrong people and try to solve

it myself.

9
You want to do it your way, that is OK.

No one says you must do therapy. I'm confused why you posted - just to have a rant, or do you want help ?

Did you actually read the information about anxiety? Because what you described (sleep disturbance, intrusive 'what if' thoughts') and feelings of fear, fit completely with my epxerience of having an anxiety disorder.

And I would say what you are experiencing is absolutely understandable given what happened and how recently it happened as well.

The definition of mental illness is generally when it impacts your daily life and prevents you from what you want to do. If you can get on with normal life and it's not affecting your decisions (eg you are not avoiding certain triggers that then make life difficult) then you're doing great and hopefully over time it will ease.

On the sleeping side of things, your original post sounded like you are having some significant sleeping issues - but maybe that's not as bad as you sound.

'Sleep hygiene' is a good place to start - you can look it up online...

eg. link like this:

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/sleep-hygiene

Since you are totally convinced that you cannot get a suitable therapist in Basel, then you can look elsewhere. There are plenty of online resources (like the ones I have already linked). Certainly no one does it for you - you are your own person - regardless of what 'help' you find - it's your road to walk.

I am having difficulty resolving your issue about a) using a free service (funded by the government, tax, charity or volunteers) or a) a paid service funded either by health insurance, accident insurance or by you directly paying a fee.

Actually. in general, Switzerland is over-stocked with psychiatrists and psychotherapists. There is plenty of choice... but you have to be prepared to trust that they genuinely want to help you, and that seems to be a big problem for you.

Either way, you have to do it yourself anyway. A therapist is just maybe less than an hour a week to gradually try to unpack what is the problem and re-frame your thoughts and feelings to overcome them. They can make suggestions, but the rest of the days and weeks, are all yours... you're the one who does the work...

10
Swisspea thanks but with all due respect are you planning to take your PhD on Psychiatry online or exhaust your spare time on the Net with Psychiatry ? but hey I am not surprised on those who circulate on the Net . Take a easy will you ?

11
Hello,

Sounds like you had a difficult time. I know a therapist in Basel, Debbie Lindenmeyer, who is very experienced, intuitive and solution focused. She is also, kind and compassionate, having spent a great deal of her career helping children and their families, couples and individuals whom are having difficult periods in their lives. I highly recommend her to you and others reading this post. If you would like to know more about her, you could take a look at her website https://debbielindenmeyer.com/

Good luck I hope you are feeling better soon.

12
You need an attitude check. You came here for help, but didn't like what you read. Tough titty, if you want your ego massaged, you need to go elsewhere.

Your feeble attempt at making somebody who's trying to help you look like a fool tells us nothing about them but speaks mountains about you.

Don't forget to read up on the difference between psychiatry and psychology.

Oh, and never ever use the expression "with all due respect" unless you're a rubbish politician who's just been found out.

13
What an extremely disappointing response to someone who, with admirable kindness and concern, is giving you the help you asked for.

Wow.

Dr. M.

14
Did you hit your head

15
You are definitely experiencing trauma. I would suggest Unique Therapy in Zurich. Ask for Marietta and tell her John sent you