If in the future psychedelics were approved as a treatment or if the studies with dosages suggested showed no harmful effects then it would be worth trying if the risks were extremely low and rewards high.

Remember SSRIs are approved and there was a thread on HN a long time ago that ssris side effects can permanently change brain chemistry (https://rxisk.org/post-ssri-sexual-dysfunction-pssd/)

The thing about trauma treatment is that the trauma is so overwhelming that the trade offs might be something that people some would be okay with.

I had also read a comment on HN once where the wife said her husband has lesser desire when on antidepressants but the quality of life is just better overall for him so he would rather keep taking them than go off them.

I am not running towards any quick fix. Some of the Reddit threads suggest marijuana as well. I don’t think it helps though I would be interested to know if it’s studied for trauma and if the results are promising.

My last psych laughed at me while I was trying to open up about the trauma and tell him about it in more detail. Some people don’t deserve to be therapists and are probably doing more harm than good to the society. He came as most recommended btw in my city.

Luckily I was able to find a good doctor later.

Generally theme is that women tend to have a good time with me. Some have wanted to take the natural next steps. But I tend not to if I don’t feel the same which is always the case and I end it as soon as it starts getting real because I am either afraid or there is some guilt associated with it. I’m not sure I will talk to my therapist about this. Interesting thing to explore in my next session. Thanks for enlightening.

Also didn’t know about mdma and ssri combination.

I have a good combination of CBT expert and a therapist who prescribes me medicine who share notes so it’s been working for me so far. I tend not to experiment things on my own without their referrals or suggestions. I’ve had bad experience with therapists before so I am very cautious about it.

This worked for me actually with CBT for some time now as quality of life was certainly better. But it had side effects like feeling emotionally numb and lack of sexual desire. Though I haven’t ever even kissed a girl at 31 I thought that would be relevant in the future for any relationship as I tried dating a bit year ago and I felt emotionally very distant and cold for whatever reason. It’s a common side effect of it I guess from what I hear.

I slowly weaned off of it in 2023 with my therapist suggestion as I was doing okay even without it but I may have to go back to it for some time if things get worse. Not sure I’ll talk to my therapist next month.

MDMA and EMDR have been two therapies for trauma processing. I will keep an eye for it and talk to my therapist to see if he can refer me to a clinic who can help me in a controlled environment. Safety is very important from what I know when you do either.

Thanks for your help.

You were not wrong here and to be honest 9 hours later I feel ashamed to have made the original comment and no disrespect to the author obviously.

I’ve been having a few bad days lately and what the author and his family are going through took me back to a time when I thought could relate not as the author but someone as a family member who was affected.

I should have been more empathetic rather than making the comment about me (although I was trying not to).

I tend to not do this as therapy is working for me mostly, but times like these it brings back emotions that you cannot control.

When I was 10 my oldest sibling went through a coma and after coming out of it some time later she did some things that my parents were not happy about. My family was going through some things and me being the youngest was completely neglected. I was shoved in a room and my family being well off all the problems were tried to be solved by money. Then just as things were getting a little better for me between 11-12 I was molested a few times. I was too scared to talk to anyone. My parents were not bothered much. 19 years later today I have PTSD and I struggle with anxiety depression panic. In my entire life I had no one to talk to and no one loved me. I was unable to make any connections in life. I do therapy which helps a little. I fell in love with someone 12 years ago which was the only time I felt something in life but she never liked me and till this day I hope for a miracle. There was a time few years ago I was unable to leave my room without panic attacks as that was the only place I felt safe. Somehow I was able to work my way into a graduate degree in computer science from a top school and a job. However I still spent the last 3 days crying alone. I deal with it every single day every single hour of my life. Life gets better some days and worse some days.

Anyway my point is that your children and your spouse need you the most right now. This is a turning point for everyone in the family. Hold them close. Talk to them. They may show they are strong and handling it well but they need you more than you might think. Some things cannot be undone. Some things cannot be changed. But many are in control today and a lot will be decided about the future at this time. So please just hold them close and tell them you love them. I will pray for you and your family.