I first wrote about my mental health journey here in a piece that explored my diagnosis of PTSD and how games with comforting loops helped me make sense of that condition. I’ve since embarked on a course of treatment which I’m just under halfway through. It took a little time, but I was accepted on a medical trial for a new form of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for those with Complex PTSD.
I wanted to revisit this, many weeks later, once I found myself on the way to healing, and it seems that video games are, once again, aiding me in my journey.
A big part of my therapy requires me to relive certain painful memories, usually with incredible detail, unearthing parts of my recollection that I’d once thought lost. This memory is examined several times over the course of 90 minutes, constantly adding moments as they come back to me.
By the end of a session, the memory will be altered, usually by adding this present-day version of myself into the memory and grounding my original self with updated thoughts and imagery. It took a while to get used to and it became a challenge for me as, while awaiting the next session a week later, I’d have to, as homework, constantly retread that memory with the updated information in order to “rewrite” the trauma response.
Minecraft
After the first session using this technique, I spoke to my therapist about how I was struggling to focus. The imagery was leaving my brain as soon as I thought about it and she mentioned how I might need a…
Please check out the original article at Source link
